


voice of my heart

by anticommute



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chobits, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-08
Updated: 2013-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-08 08:09:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4297173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anticommute/pseuds/anticommute
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lu Han is a meddlesome friend and Yixing insists he's happy with his life. But life happens in the most unexpected of ways, and Chen is nothing if not unexpected. Chobits!AU (Note: the section dividers are links to the chapters of 'The City With No People')</p><p>originally written for r&g - as it was finished during an overnight stay in an airport, the ending was meant to be revised, but never was. really, really old fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	voice of my heart

With the sun high in the mid-day sky, Yixing was more than glad for the shade from the patio umbrella—he'd be marginally more glad if his lunch date hadn't insisted on sitting outside where the air con from the nice, cool, indoor part of the cafe didn't reach, but even at twenty-one, Lu Han could be childishly stubborn at times.

Like now. Yixing bent over his green tea smoothie, worrying at the straw with his teeth in between sips. Halfway through lunch, his friend had started nattering on about Yixing's lack of a social life again, which, over the past month or so, had become an increasingly familiar refrain. Just because Lu Han was a social butterfly didn't mean it gave him the right to call Yixing a shut-in. It just happened that his hobbies didn't involve mingling with other sweaty people to kick balls around. Or mingling with other people, in general.

He glanced surreptitiously through the open windows of the cafe at the clock on the wall inside. Half past one, which meant another half hour before he could reasonably escape. The waitress who had served them was taking the order of a table near the window, and if she hadn't introduced herself as a Konpa, a Computerised Companion, there was no way he would have known. She was very pretty. Of course, they were designed to be. Why create an android and make it anything less than far more stunning than plastic surgery could ever accomplish? Yixing turned back to his smoothie, only to have it wrenched out of his hands.

Lu Han took a long slurp from it before placing it down next to his mango milkshake, arms across his chest and elbows on the table. "You're ignoring me," he said.

"That's _mine_ ," Yixing said, reaching across the table. Lu Han glared at him and slapped his hand away.

"Seriously, you need a life. Or a boyfriend. Girlfriend. Whatever."

Yixing bristled. "Just because you have your little boytoy doesn't mean I need a—"

"You called?"

"Boytoy?"

Lu Han blinked at Yixing, arching an eyebrow as Yixing swore, toppling sideways off his chair when Jongin popped up behind him from out of nowhere. Lu Han's boyfriend grinned down at him over the chair. Speak of the devil.

"I hate you both," Yixing grumbled, accepting the hand up anyway.

"Hey. What're you doing here?" Lu Han grinned brightly, standing up and enveloping Jongin in a hug, stealing a quick kiss before Jongin shrugged him off, a faint flush in his cheeks. Yixing rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Running errands for my mom," Jongin said, taking a step back. Yixing took the opportunity to snatch back his smoothie, returning Lu Han's glare with a tight-lipped smile. Even though Jongin was four years younger than Lu Han, Yixing had to admit they looked good together, especially like this, heads bent so close together to whisper about nothing more incriminating than what sort of apples Jongin's mother had sent him out for, probably. He tuned out their conversation, swirling his straw around his half empty glass.

Jongin had to leave soon, so with one last squeeze of his hand, Lu Han shooed him off and settled back into his chair across from Yixing.

"I don't need a boyfriend," Yixing said, with what he hoped was some degree of finality. He paused, tapping at the edge of his glass with the straw. "And I have a life."

Lu Han didn't contest this immediately, resting his chin in his hands instead as he sipped at his own milkshake. "Have you seen anyone but me since exams finished?"

"I have work?"

"Okay, other than work."

Yixing paused, knowing what Lu Han was getting at. "We broke up months ago," he said. Lu Han's split-second balk told him that he'd hit the mark, and Yixing didn't know whether to strangle Lu Han in exasperation or be touched by his hilariously misplaced concern. "Anyway, I am _not_ overcome by grief at his decision to date someone who isn't me, and certainly not Amber of all people, even if they happened to get together at the end of term and I haven’t gone out much since then, so no, I don't need a boyfriend _or_ a life."

Lu Han's eyes narrowed briefly, before an easy smile smoothed over his features. Yixing wondered uneasily if now was a good time to leave. "I'd feel better if you had someone else to talk to who isn't me. Especially since you don't have a roommate."

"And...?"

Lu Han clapped his hands together delightedly. "We're going Konpa shopping!"

" _What._ "

Which was how Yixing found himself dragged into a Konpa store straight from his shift at the bookstore, Lu Han hanging around and making a nuisance of himself the entire time he was at work, despite his protests that he didn't see how this would solve anything. Lu Han’s brain seemed to subvert the need for logic at the most inopportune moments.

"The advances of technology are amazing, don't you think?" was all Lu Han was willing to say.

Konpa. Computerised Companion. Also known in other parts of the world as Persocoms, or simply Coms. Regardless of what they were called, there was no doubt that they were a marvel of technology and artificial intelligence, robots that so resembled humans that it was near impossible to distinguish a Konpa as one, short of locating its serial ports or the Konpa telling you itself. They didn't come cheap, but that didn't stop almost everyone from having one, or at least a MiniKon.

"I don't _want_ a Konpa," Yixing said, crossing his arms. He dragged his feet stubbornly as they approached the door.

Lu Han rolled his eyes, gripping his arm firmly. "You like Sehun well enough," he said, referring to his own MiniKon. 

"Yes, but Sehun is yours."

"So let's get you one of your own! Come on, I'll even chip in for half as an early birthday present."

"But I don't want a Konpa, what am I going to do with a Konpa, Lu Han you do realise that other than work there are things I do that don't involve a second person and I'm perfectly content to cook and clean for myself and—"he hastily cut Lu Han off before he could point out the other obvious use of Konpas, lowering his voice as he spoke"—no I do _not need a sex toy._ "

"It wouldn't hurt for you to get laid," Lu Han muttered not quite under his breath. Yixing was too busy gaping in shock at him for the sake of the scandalised mother that hurried by with her child to muster up enough energy to stop himself from being pulled into the shop.

“I—I don’t do casual flings!” Yixing spluttered. He quickly shut up and composed himself as a salesperson approached them, a bright smile on his face. For a moment, he wondered if the salesperson himself was a Konpa, but all the Konpa staff in the store seemed to be identified by a different set of uniforms, and they all appeared almost ephemeral, and Yixing could’ve swore that their skin was faintly glowing. As for the Konpa on display, while one wall was lined artistically with boxes that held MiniKon, the other two were plastered instead with design specifications and life-sized posters instead of any Konpa themselves. Although, he imagined, walking into a room of inactivated Konpas didn’t seem too appealing to him either.

“We’re looking for a Konpa for him,” Lu Han said, bringing Yixing’s attention abruptly back to the approaching sales person. Lu Han quickly cut in before either Yixing or the sales person could get a word in sideways. “Would you mind showing us some of the more popular models? Just as a starting point, of course, he doesn’t know what he’s looking for yet.”

“Um,” Yixing said. The salesperson looked at him expectantly, and he froze. Yixing rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m not…exactly looking.”

“He’s looking,” Lu Han said emphatically.

The salesperson first gave Yixing a bewildered look before nodding at Lu Han. “Of course, right this way,” he said, before he turned to Yixing with an understanding smile. “And maybe you’ll find something you like.”

Yixing supposed he wasn’t alone. He nodded.

The salesperson took them first to several of the banners, pointing out features and availabilities and, when prompted for, prices that Yixing couldn’t help but balk at. To his credit, Yixing attempted to feign interest, but it was difficult when he really _wasn’t_ interested. He had never been. Compared to the constant companionship of a machine, no matter how cleverly built to imitate a human, Yixing far preferred none at all, or the warmth of someone alive. He understood the conveniences, but he’d spent the past twenty years managing just fine without, and could certainly last at least another twenty years.

Lu Han elbowed him in the side, and Yixing blinked out of his daze.

“Maybe the MiniKons?” the salesperson suggested.

Yixing glanced to the shelf. It was true, he did find Lu Han’s Sehun cute, but…

“I’m sorry for wasting your time,” Yixing said instead, ignoring the brief but noticeable narrowing of Lu Han’s eyes. “I don’t think I need one right now.”

“It’s not a matter of _need_ ," Lu Han said as soon as they were out of the store. "It's not like you can't afford it, I don't see why you don't just get one. The newer models are quite life-like you know and—"

"Just drop it," Yixing mumbled. "I just don't want a Konpa, okay?"

"But—"

"I'm not getting one, and that's that."

Much to Yixing's surprise, Lu Han gave him one last long searching look, but didn't bring up the subject again.

[☆](http://www.animeyume.com/chobits/chobook1.html)

Yixing tucked his hands in his pockets, shrugging his shoulders under the weight of his bag. The sun was still plainly visible above the horizon of the cityscape as he made his winding way home, the summer evening stifling from the aftermath of a clear, warm day. The mismatched stories-high apartments and the houses of the residential afforded some shade in bits and pieces, but after a day at work, Yixing wanted nothing more than to collapse on the floor of his room with the fan pointed straight at his face. The collar of his shirt stuck uncomfortably to the back of his neck, and Yixing reached back to adjust it, jerking his head aside to work out the kinks as he did.

Yixing froze, frowning down an alleyway. Curiously, he approached the out-of-place bundle that had caught his eye, tossed almost carelessly against the wall along with the trash. Only—

As he got closer, he realised that he'd been right, it wasn't a bundle at all. "Are you alright?" he asked, crouching down next to the person, careful not to startle them. It was a boy; a shock of black hair with messy bangs cut just above his eyes, prominent cheekbones and a quiescent expression on his face, apparently asleep, or, Yixing suddenly realised, unconscious. He was dressed in a plain white t-shirt and jeans, both smudged with dirt. Hesitantly, Yixing reached out and shook him softly by the shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he repeated. "You shouldn't sleep out here."

Yixing raked a hand through his hair. He stood, glancing around him. Dinner time, he guessed, and in this heat, no one was going to be outside unless they had to. He glanced back down at the boy, frowning. He couldn't just leave him here. Yixing bent back down, and after an apologetic grimace, reached into the boy's pockets.

"If you wake up right now, this isn't what it looks like," he said under his breath, sliding his hands into the boy's back pockets when the front ones were empty, but the search turned up no results, leaving Yixing only more puzzled than ever. Never mind no wallet, Yixing didn't always take his wallet with him either, there was no ID card, no phone, nothing to give a hint of where he'd come from.

"But I can't just _leave_ you here," Yixing said, more to himself than to the boy. He bit his lip, glancing behind him back at the street. He wasn't far from home, maybe some five minutes away.

"A bed will be more comfortable anyway," he said aloud. Awkwardly, Yixing hauled the boy upright, only to find that he was almost as tall as he was. But how in the world was he supposed to carry him? And—Yixing suddenly realised—he wasn't wearing shoes either? Yixing worried at his lip in thought, rubbing at a spot behind his ear. After a moment, Yixing slid his backpack off one of his shoulders, and on the third try, managed to get the boy settled across his back, hefting him into the air, bag hanging awkwardly off his elbow.

"You're not very heavy, are you?" he said, not expecting a response. "Well, let's go."

Usually, Yixing paid no mind to the lack of people in the streets at this time of the day, but right now, he was thankful for it. He could only imagine how strange he looked, piggy-backing this boy through the streets. Other than a moment when he nearly dropped him as he was fumbling for his keys, Yixing managed to get him to his apartment (thank goodness he only lived on the third floor) and lay him down on the futon he'd tossed in the corner next to his bed for when Lu Han sometimes stayed over. And other people, but the only person who'd stayed over lately had been Lu Han.

Once Yixing had locked the door behind him, turned on the fan, and changed out of his sweaty work clothes into a tee and pair of sweatpants, he found himself standing next to the still sleeping boy, staring down at him.

"Now what?" he said aloud. 

As if in response, his stomach growled, and Yixing laughed to himself. "Dinner first is a good idea," he said, and meandered off to the kitchen. He had some curry powder left over from last time, and feeling completely uninspired with the contents of his fridge, dumped everything into a pot and left it there to simmer. Once he'd washed and set the rice cooking as well, Yixing wandered back. The boy was still asleep.

"Why won't you wake up?" he murmured. Did he have a fever? But no, his skin temperature had been absolutely unremarkable earlier.

Yixing knelt down next to him, pressing the inside of his wrist to his forehead just in case he had one now, but it was the same as it had been before, warm but not hot, and slightly cooler than his own touch, but that was no surprise, he’d just come from the kitchen. But something else seemed off, and frowning in confusion, Yixing shifted his hand down, pressing his fingers against the boy’s neck. There…was no pulse? But instinctively, Yixing knew that he wasn’t _dead_. He slid his fingers down, and—

“Ack!” Yixing screamed, jumping backwards when a part of his neck seemed to come _loose_ , a hatch popping open under his fingers. A hatch? “Y-you’re&mdash!?”

“A Konpa?” Yixing wondered aloud. His heart still pounding in his chest, he crept forward, wondering if he’d woken the boy. Yixing bit his lip, leaning over the boy to peer at the hatch. Something that resembled a serial port was there, complete with wire ends and all, but Yixing had no idea if something was supposed to be stuck into it or if it stuck into something else or if—

“You’re not human, are you?”

And so, Yixing called the only person he could think of.

“Are you _insane?_?” was the first thing Lu Han said to him when he walked in and saw the boy lying there. All Yixing had said to him on the phone was that he needed help and to bring Sehun along. And then: “is he alive?”

“No and I don’t know, no don’t panic I mean okay I panicked but can I just show you first?” Yixing ignored Lu Han’s babbling and dragged him inside as soon as he’d kicked his shoes off.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Lu Han asked, but Yixing just shook his head.

“Look at this,” Yixing said. He knelt down, pulling Lu Han down with him. As soon as Lu Han caught eye of the still open hatch, the bewildered confusion narrowed into curious focus. Yixing shuffled aside as Lu Han leaned in to get a closer look, his fingers skimming over the exposed port.

“Do Konpas count as alive?” Yixing asked, earning him a glare.

“You could have just said he was a Konpa in the first place,” Lu Han grumbled. He slid his bag off his back and unbuckled the clasp. Sehun poked his head out before climbing out. Yixing grinned at the MiniKon, all of half a meter tall, waving as he cocked his head, getting a grasp on his surroundings.

“Well, about that…” Yixing said, rubbing his neck sheepishly. “Konpa are supposed to have serial codes, right?”

“Yes, on their backs,” Lu Han said. “I’m glad you remember that much.”

Yixing shook his head. “He doesn’t have one,” he said. “I wanted to look up if someone’s Konpa had gone missing, but couldn’t find anything.”

“Odd,” Lu Han said. Sehun had climbed onto Yixing’s lap and was peering at the port, running his fingers over it the same way his owner had been doing moments earlier.

“What type is it? I’ve never seen this port before,” Lu Han asked Sehun. Sehun glanced up at Lu Han and blinked, the two of them looking eerily alike.

“Searching,” Sehun said. Yixing leaned back, gaze flickering between the boy and Sehun, the MiniKon’s eyes glazed over as it scanned a database for comparison. It was taking longer than usual. After half a minute had passed, during which Lu Han’s brows had begun to furrow in concern, Sehun’s eyes came back to focus.

The MiniKon shook its head. “Port type unknown,” he said. “I can still try connecting, a standard male connector can be adapted.”

“Go ahead,” Lu Han said, nodding.

“I am so confused,” Yixing muttered.

“And the irony is that you told me you were never getting a Konpa.”

“I am _not_ getting a Konpa,” Yixing protested crossly. “I didn’t even know he was a Konpa, I thought he had passed out and needed help or something. And besides, he probably belongs to someone.”

“Wouldn’t most people check for a pulse first? I think that’s the smart thing to do.”

“Did you just call me stupid again?”

Lu Han smiled. “Maybe!”

The timer beeped from the kitchen. Yixing glanced at the boy; Sehun was sitting next to him now, leaning against his shoulder, a cable running from somewhere under his shirt to the hatch in the boy’s neck.

“The curry’s done,” Yixing said, getting to his feet. Lu Han looked up at him. Yixing sighed. “Yes, that was an invitation to stay for dinner.”

He turned off the stove, breathing in the fragrance of the curry. Not as good as if he’d made it from scratch, but he hadn’t felt up to cooking properly in a while. Still, the powder from a box was pretty good. Yixing had just taken the plates down from the cupboard when Lu Han screamed behind him. Yixing put the plates down and whirled around.

“Sehun!?”

“What happened?” Yixing said, running over. The MiniKon was slumped over in Lu Han’s lap, unresponsive.

Lu Han looked at him, panicked. “I don’t know, he just froze, crashed, he’s never crashed before, MiniKon, Konpa aren’t supposed to crash.”

“Is it because…” Yixing looked over at the boy, at the strange Konpa that was still asleep. Or inactivated?

Lu Han shook his head. “I don’t know, I’ve never heard of this happening before. I mean, Sehun’s an older model, I’ve had him for a while, but—Sehun?”

The MiniKon’s eyes flickered open. “Unrecognised Data Structure. Reboot complete.”

“Are you alright?” Yixing asked the MiniKon. Sehun sat up, giving his head a little shake before hopping out of Lu Han’s hands and to his feet.

“Unexpected,” was all he said, before walking over to Lu Han’s bag and climbing in.

“I…think he’s angry,” Yixing ventured.

Lu Han shook his head, lips pursed. “He’ll get over it,” he said. “But this definitely isn’t a standard model Konpa.”

“He doesn’t look like a Konpa either,” Yixing said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realised why he’d assumed he was a human at first. “He’s…not perfect enough.”

“But why would someone make a Konpa and not make it perfect?” Lu Han mused aloud. He shook his head, placing his palms flat on his knees before standing. “So about dinner?”

Over dinner, Lu Han promised that he’d call a friend who was more experienced with Konpas than he was. Sehun stopped sulking halfway through and crawled out to make a nuisance of himself, playing basketball with chunks of potato using Yixing’s bowl as the net. Lu Han was laughing too hard at the curry smeared over Yixing’s shirt to stop his MiniKon, which only seemed to egg Sehun on more.

“I am never feeding you again,” Yixing warned.

“ _I_ don’t care,” Sehun pointed out, but Lu Han plucked the MiniKon off his lap and put him on the floor.

“So what are you going to do?” Lu Han asked as he was putting his shoes on.

Yixing shook his head, leaning against the wall, arms crossed across his chest.. “I don’t know. I’m still wondering if someone lost him.”

“Or threw him out,” Lu Han said. Yixing frowned. “You said you found him near the trash, right? So someone put him out with the trash. It looks like he might be defective. Maybe this isn’t the first time he’s been thrown out either…and won’t be the last.”

“I’m not going to throw him out.”

“What?”

“It wouldn’t feel right,” Yixing said. “I don’t think I can throw him out.”

“Suit yourself.” Lu Han shrugged, standing up and turning around to unlock the door. Sehun poked his head out of Lu Han’s bag, arms hanging over the edge.

“I agree,” Sehun said, and Lu Han twisted his neck back in surprise, eyebrows disappearing under his bangs.

“What?” Lu Han and Yixing said in union.

“Don’t throw him out,” Sehun said, frowning, before disappearing back into the bag.

“Good night?” Yixing said.

“Night,” Lu Han said.

After his friend had left and Yixing had cleaned up the dinner dishes, putting the leftover curry in the fridge, he sat down on the edge of his bed. He watched the boy for a few moments, tracing his eyes over the boy’s cheeks and jaw, down to the slight frame visible underneath the shirt. After a few minutes, Yixing walked over to shut the hatch over the exposed port before walking back to the bed.

“What _do_ I do with you?” 

He glanced at the clock, the time well past midnight. Yixing went into the bathroom, washing up quickly, changing into pyjamas. With one last look at the boy sleeping on the futon, Yixing turned off the light and crawled under his blankets. With his head still spinning with questions, Yixing slipped into an uneasy sleep.

He was woken by his phone ringing next to his bed.

“What is it?” he asked groggily. The caller ID had said Lu Han, and the clock had said seven in the morning. Why was Lu Han even awake?

“You’re so _stupid_ ,” Lu Han’s voice came through the speakerphone. “Did you turn him on?”

“Did I…what?”

“Turn him _on_ ,” Lu Han repeated. “Look for a switch. Sehun said it’s probably in another compartment in the hatch you opened yesterday—Sehun, get _off_ —”

“To the left, press and slide down, and Lu Han forgot too—”

“He woke me up and wouldn’t let me sleep until I called you.” Lu Han had grabbed the phone back and didn’t seem too awake either, now that Yixing was suddenly very awake. “Not like he couldn’t have called you yourself.”

“Wait, stay on the line and don’t go back to sleep just yet, let me check.” Yixing leaned over the bed and threw open the curtains, enough morning light flooding into his apartment for him to see that the boy was still just as he’d left him the previous night. Putting the phone down on the floor next to him, Yixing slid his fingers down the boy’s neck until the hatch popped open again with a click, but this time, Yixing was expecting it. Following Sehun’s instructions, he gently pressed down on the narrow space just next to the port that the MiniKon had connected to yesterday, and to his surprise, it slid down smoothly, revealing a small cavity with a switch hidden inside.

“There is a switch,” Yixing said aloud for Lu Han and Sehun’s benefit. He could hear Sehun’s smug ‘told you so’ and Lu Han’s ‘now can I go back to sleep?’ but ignored them. He bit his lip, suddenly struck with how strange this situation was, his finger in someone’s _neck_ , even if the someone was a Konpa and arguably not human, but even so. He pressed the switch.

A quiet whirr sounded as the hatch slid back into place, and Yixing sat back on his heels as the boy’s eyes opened, and he blinked. The boy stared blankly ahead for a moment before he seemed to notice Yixing sitting there, his eyes focusing on him. Yixing stared back, drawn to the boy’s gaze and the quiet smile that had lifted the corners of his lips.

“Hi,” he said, voice almost a whisper.

The boy sat up slowly. He blinked at Yixing, smiling wider. “Hi?” he said. A brief frown flickered over his features, his brows drawing into a furrow, before his mien smoothed out again and the smile was back. “Hi.”

“Do you…have a name?” Yixing asked.

The boy shook his head. “Hi,” he repeated.

“Hi,” Yixing said. He rubbed the back of his neck, unable to take his gaze off this Konpa. “You need a name.”

The boy only tilted his head.

Yixing wracked his mind for something, and suddenly remembered the old cat he’d had as a child. “Chen?” he said, rolling the name aloud on his tongue.

“Chen?” the boy parroted back at him. He seemed puzzled, before the smile was back, and he laughed.

“Is that okay?” Yixing asked. “If I call you Chen? I mean, it was the name of my cat…”

“Chen!” the boy says, grinning.

Yixing laughed back. “Okay then, Chen. I’m Yixing. Yiiiiiixing,” he said, slowly drawing the syllables out, pointing at himself.

“Yixing,” the boy, Chen, repeated.

He pointed at himself—“Chen,” he said—and then at Yixing. “Yixing.”

“That’s right,” Yixing said happily, and then—“can you say anything else?”

Chen seemed to think about this for a moment, before he grinned. “Hi!”

Yixing laughed, sighed, and then laughed again. “I guess we’ll have to work on that,” he said, jumping to his feet. He held his hand towards the boy who stared at it for a moment before he took it and let Yixing pull him to his feet.

“Work on that,” Chen agreed, and Yixing shook his head, laughing helplessly.

[☆](http://www.animeyume.com/chobits/chobook2.html)

“So you brought him to work.”

Baekhyun eyed Chen from across the store, listening to Yixing’s explanation of who the strange boy was. To his co-worker’s credit, he hadn’t blinked an eye at the part where Yixing had taken a stranger home with him, unlike Lu Han. The Konpa-who-didn’t-seem-like-a-Konpa was currently seated at a table in the back room, a stack of children’s books in front of him. Yixing had spent the morning getting Chen cleaned up and showing him around, the Konpa following him around like a duckling as Yixing pointed at various objects, naming them. He was currently dressed in Yixing’s clothes while his own were in the laundry bin, the hem of his jeans only rolled up a little. Seeming to sense their scrutiny, Chen glanced up and waved at them. Yixing waved back, and satisfied, Chen went back to his book.

“I couldn’t leave him at home by himself,” Yixing said, turning back to Baekhyun. “He’s like a child.” 

“But he’s a Konpa?” Baekhyun said.

Yixing nodded. “He had a switch and everything, but there was no serial number, so for now we think that he’s a custom model. But he’s well behaved!”

“You’ve had him for _half a day_ ,” Baekhyun said.

“He’s been awake for half a day,” Yixing corrected absentmindedly. A lady who looked rather lost and staring at a scrap of paper caught his eye, and he wandered off, leaving Baekhyun to sigh behind him.

By the time Yixing had finished helping her locate all the books on her list and had rung her up at the register, Baekhyun was busy with a customer out in front of the bookshop. It wasn’t a very large shop, the walls lined with books and a few shelves running down the middle, and really, it could be minded by one person alone on most days. Catching Baekhyun’s eye and signalling that he was going to the backroom, Yixing headed over to where Chen was sitting.

“Hi,” he said. Chen looked up when he walked in.

“Hi!” Chen said.

“Did you find a book you like?” Yixing asked. He’d quickly realised over the morning that Chen understood far more than he could say. Even so, Yixing figured that it was best to start slowly, and Chen hadn’t seem displeased with the choice of books Yixing had shown him.

“Mm!” Chen nodded. He pointed at a book he’d placed a little bit aside from the pile. Yixing glanced at the cover as he picked it up, flipping through the pages. It was a picture book.

“ _City with no people_ ,” Yixing murmured, reading the title aloud. For some reason, the book gave him a feeling of immeasurable sadness, and he wondered if it should have been in the children’s section at all.

“This one?” he said, handing it back to Chen. “You like this one?”

“I like this one,” Chen agreed. He put it back on the table, a little aside from the others, in the same place he’d put it initially.

Yixing stared at the book for a long moment before he tore his gaze away, smiling at Chen. “Should I bring you more books? Are these okay?”

“These are okay,” Chen said.

“I’ll be back later then,” Yixing said.

Other than a phone call from Lu Han and a couple of rowdy teenagers aside, the rest of the afternoon passed in a meandering calm, and Yixing noted with some delight that Baekhyun had taken to chatting with Chen when the shop was empty as well.

“He really isn’t like a Konpa,” Baekhyun said. “I can see why you like him.”

“He’s a fast learner,” Yixing agreed. When Baekhyun glanced at him, confused, Yixing shrugged. “I mean, Konpa are supposed to be programmed, right?”

“Somehow, he almost doesn’t seem like a program,” Baekhyun murmured. Chen was still flipping through the pages of a book, his head bent over the table. “Or you know what they used to say, that sufficiently advanced technology was indistinguishable from magic. Maybe that’s what it is.”

“Lu Han still thinks he’s defective,” Yixing said.

“Well, for one, he’s not as annoying as Lu Han ge,” Baekhyun said. Yixing giggled. One time Lu Han had been here, he’d rearranged half the books on the shelves (only when either Baekhyun or Yixing were watching, no doubt so they’d know where to put them back) and had slowly but surely migrated all the volumes of Twilight over to the Bibliography section, for reasons understood only to Lu Han. By the end of that day, Baekhyun had been ready to strangle him. But then Lu Han had taken them all out for dinner as an apology, and Baekhyun had forgotten the part about strangling and settled for very tight hugging instead. (Yixing had found out later that Jongin had spent the day in the hospital from a back injury, and Lu Han wasn’t considered ‘family’.)

"There's that," Yixing agreed.

Lu Han dropped by when Yixing was just closing up the shop.

“It’ll probably rain soon,” Lu Han said, fairly dripping from sweat. It was sticky and humid outside, but Yixing had been inside all day. He wasn’t looking forward to the walk home.

“You _hope_ it’ll rain soon,” Yixing said. “I hope so too, though.”

“Where is he?”

“In the back, reading.”

Lu Han frowned at this. “Reading?”

“I think he likes it,” Yixing said. He walked Lu Han to the back room, not that he didn’t know where it was himself, having been here more than just once.

“Chen, this is Lu Han,” Yixing said, introducing him. “He’s my friend.”

“Hi!” Chen said, giving Lu Han a little wave. Lu Han glanced at Yixing who just shrugged.

“I need to finish closing up, I’ll come get you when I’m done.” Once he’d locked up the register and finished taking inventory, he went back to grab his bag and the other two. Lu Han was talking up a storm, while Chen seemed to have veritable question marks in his eyes.

“You don’t have to listen to anything he says,” Yixing said, smacking Lu Han lightly on the head. “What have you been telling him anyway?”

“Oh, just stuff,” Lu Han said, a glint in his eye.

Chen just looked confused.

Yixing patted him on the shoulder. He could ask later. “So where are we going anyway? You were all mysterious on the phone.”

“Oh that was just payback,” Lu Han said, confessing straight up. “I told you I’d call up a friend who knew more about Konpa than I did, right? Anyway, we’re going to his place, he has better diagnostics than Sehun can do.”

“Did you leave Sehun at home today?” Yixing asked.

Lu Han nodded. “He’s charging. He downloaded some big files earlier today.”

“Big files.”

“ _Yes_ , big files. Now are we going or not?”

“Why are we going?” Chen suddenly spoke up, and they both turned to look at him.

“Think of it as a doctor’s check up,” Lu Han answered first.

“Doctor?” Chen queried.

“Just in case,” Yixing said. _Not that I think there’s anything wrong with you,_ he didn’t add.

Lu Han’s friend lived in one of the high-rises in the city core, only a few minutes away from the bookshop where Yixing worked. Chen looked around everywhere on the way there, pointing at everything like a tourist, eyes sparkling at the bright banners and the colourful shop signs, staring up at the glass towers in awe. Yixing happily obliged him with names and explanations, although he wasn’t sure how to explain the movie poster for the newest romantic drama. “Because…they love each other very much,” Yixing tried, while Lu Han snickered none too quietly. “So they put their lips together and that’s called a kiss.”

“But why?”

“Because they love each other?” Yixing looked at Lu Han desperately for help.

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Lu Han said, patting Chen on the back. Chen seemed to accept this explanation and Yixing sighed, wounded. He didn’t even point out that Chen wasn’t going to get any older.

Yixing let Chen press the elevator button; Kyungsoo (that was his name, Lu Han said) lived on the twenty-third floor, which gave Chen plenty of time to press several other buttons on the way up. Yixing shrugged and grinned when Lu Han’s head thumped back against the mirrored walls as the elevator doors opened far too many times.

Kyungsoo, Lu Han had explained briefly as Yixing rang the doorbell, was a few years younger than Lu Han but something of a technology geek, and Konpas were his specialty. “He has two custom models himself,” Lu Han was saying when the door opened.

A clean cut young man stepped out, dressed neatly in a plaid shirt and jeans, his eyes opened so wide that Yixing wondered if he was really _that_ surprised to see them. When he saw Lu Han standing next to him, a grin broke out across his face.

“Come in,” Kyungsoo said, stepping aside.

“I’m Yixing,” Yixing introduced himself. Chen was staring curiously at Kyungsoo, brows furrowed and head tilted, so Yixing grabbed his hand and tugged him forward. “And this is Chen.”

“Yixing’s too dumb to be a Konpa,” Lu Han supplied helpfully, dodging the half-hearted swat Yixing aimed behind him.

“I’m Kyungsoo,” Kyungsoo said, leading them into the living room. The apartment was clean, neat and spacious, white walls and hardwood flooring with the furniture in matching shades of chrome. News flashed across half of a large screen against the wall, the other half dark, although the volume was on mute. A bundle of wires ran from the screen to various devices stacked on a shelf next to it, and a keyboard sat on the table. From the kitchen, a girl stepped out, bowing in greeting. Instinctively, Yixing bowed back, earning a smack from Lu Han on the back of the head.

“Oh, that’s Mina,” Kyungsoo said. “She’s one of my custom Konpas. Nami’s out on errands.”

“Will they be staying for dinner?” the Konpa asked, and now that Yixing looked closely, he realised that she had been modified in appearance as well, odd, almost cat-like large ears protruding where ears normally were.

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said, turning to Lu Han.

Lu Han shrugged. “Why not?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Yixing said at the same time, shaking his head. He glanced at Chen beside him, who had been unusually quiet the entire time. After a day of his curious chatter, it seemed strange. The Konpa was staring straight at Kyungsoo. Yixing turned back to Kyungsoo, realising that he’d been biting on his lip again.

“Lu Han said you had better diagnostics,” Yixing said, getting straight to the point. “I mean, I don’t think anything’s _wrong_ with him—”he sneaked a look at Chen, but his expression hadn’t changed“—but I’m…wondering too, if you could tell us anything about him.”

“He’s the doctor?” Chen spoke up for the first time since they’d gotten of the elevator, pointing at Yixing.

“It’s rude to point,” Lu Han said before Yixing got a chance to, and reached across Yixing to push Chen’s hand down.

Kyungsoo’s eyes, if possible, opened even wider than they had been before. “I’m…not a doctor?” he said, but Chen had already turned to look questioningly at Yixing.

“What’s a doctor?”

Yixing caught understanding flickering across Kyungsoo’s face.

“A doctor is someone who fixes people who are sick,” Kyungsoo said slowly. He nodded at them, before walking quickly to the keyboard, placing his palm flat on an indentation on the table that Yixing hadn’t noticed until they walked closer. Chen followed himself this time, watching over Kyungsoo’s shoulder as he tapped at the keys. The other half of the screen flickered on and the news disappeared, lines of code running down as a system booted.

“Where’s his connector port?” Kyungsoo asked without looking up.

Yixing glanced at Chen. “Can I?” he asked, his hand hovering over Chen’s neck. Chen nodded, and then pressed it open himself. Yixing winced—it had scared him the first time, now it still looked strange. 

“It’s a strange connector though, that’s what Sehun said,” Lu Han said. Kyungsoo shrugged, gesturing Chen to come closer so he could get a look. Yixing gave the Konpa a little push when Chen looked at Yixing.

Kyungsoo had to tip toe to look at the exposed port on Chen’s neck properly, frowning when he did. “It’s not strange,” he said, “it’s just old.”

“Old?” Chen asked, trying to look around at Kyungsoo. His face crashed into Kyungsoo’s cheek, and Kyungsoo jumped back with a squeak.

“Sorry!” Yixing said, and then to Chen: “say sorry!”

“Sorry?” Chen said. Yixing squeezed his eyes shut briefly. They had a lot to work on.

“It’s okay, I’m fine,” Kyungsoo said, holding his cheek. “I was just surprised.”

“Master are you alright?” Kyungsoo’s Konpa poked her head out from the kitchen, ladle still in hand.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Kyungsoo reassured her. “I’ll be right back.”

By ‘right back’, Kyungsoo had apparently meant instantly, because after disappearing into what Yixing guessed was his room, he re-emerged seconds later, a cable in hand. Yixing looked back to see Chen tense up behind him again, and he squeezed his hand in reassurance. Chen glanced down at their hands and then back at Yixing, his usual smile back in place. 

“That was fast,” Lu Han said.

“It pays to be organised,” Kyungsoo said. He glanced at the cable, and then at Chen, and then at the screen. “Maybe you should sit down?” he suggested.

Chen and Yixing nodded at the same time, and Kyungsoo gestured awkwardly at the floor. Following their example, Lu Han sat down as well, resting his chin on Yixing’s shoulder, Chen on Yixing’s other side. Within moments, Kyungsoo had connected Chen to the screen. Chen slumped over against Yixing, but Kyungsoo reassured him that it was normal. Yixing wrapped an arm around Chen’s shoulders, his heart uneasy in his chest. Kyungsoo was frowning—Yixing didn’t understand anything that was appearing on the screen. He pulled Chen a little closer.

After a few minutes, the screen blanked out entirely, before flashing with

NO DATA_

“Odd,” Kyungsoo said, “but not a surprise. Mina, could I borrow you for a moment if the kitchen isn’t urgent?”

“Of course,” Mina said, appearing next to Kyungsoo. Yixing looked up at her, still holding Chen’s slight frame against him. The Konpa knelt down next to Kyungsoo, brushing her hair away from the strange ear-pieces. Ports, Yixing realised, when Kyungsoo pulled the cable out from the screen and plugged it in after sliding open a hatch. He unravelled a cord from the other earpiece and attached that to the screen instead.

“Initiate program scan,” Kyungsoo instructed verbally. Lu Han’s chin was still digging into Yixing’s shoulder, which made it difficult for Yixing to see what was happening, even if he didn’t have Chen leaning against him as well. Mina’s eyes glazed over in the way Konpas did when they were executing one of their more computerised functions. Again, nothing seemed to happen for a few minutes—until Mina collapsed, and Kyungsoo rushed to her side, disconnecting her from Chen.

“That happened to Sehun too,” Lu Han murmured.

“You told me,” Kyungsoo said, “but I thought it was because his firewalls were weak. Guess not.”

Mina opened her eyes again almost instantly, sitting up. “Reboot complete,” she said, blinking as the usual focus returned to her eyes.

“Anything?” 

The Konpa shook her head, and Yixing frowned. Beside him, Chen sat up slowly, rubbing at his eyes. “Are you alright?” Yixing asked. Chen nodded.

“There was…” The Konpa trailed off, shaking her head again. “Never mind. It is unimportant. The spaghetti sauce is done, if you are ready for dinner.”

“Thank you, Mina,” Kyungsoo said, helping her to her feet.

“Well?” Lu Han asked. His chin jabbed into Yixing’s shoulder, and Yixing shrugged him off.

“Well,” Kyungsoo said, turning to look at them, his brows furrowed into straight lines, “I can’t get anything from before…yesterday, really. I _think_ there’s data from today, but it kept returning no data anyway. It’s an unusual encryption. And as for what happened with Sehun and Mina… I’d need to check something first.”

“So someone wiped his memory?” Lu Han asked.

“I’d say so.” Kyungsoo nodded, and then stared hard at Chen. The Konpa inched a little behind Yixing under the scrutiny. “They haven’t made ports like that in ten years at least, so he’s been around for a while.”

“But Mina?”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “I want to ask someone something first,” he repeated. “They might know more than I do.”

Lu Han chuckled. “Kyungsoo, stumped?”

“It happens more often than you think!” Kyungsoo protested.

“So, what does this _mean_?” Yixing cut in. “He’s not a standard Konpa, is he?”

Kyungsoo stood. “Well I guess the important part is that no, he isn’t. All Konpa are essentially still machines, very well built and well-designed machines, but they can’t function without instructions, without the necessary software. Your Konpa there, Chen, right? seems to be missing the overall root structure, or it’s designed so differently that I couldn’t pick it up at all. I’d hazard a guess that his software is entirely nonstandard, or missing altogether. No email, that’s for certain. Lu Han told me that this morning he didn’t have any vocabulary at all, right? But he’s speaking now…so he seems to have some sort of learning protocol installed?” Kyungsoo shook his head. “To be honest, I don’t know either.”

“I see,” Yixing said, without really understanding at all. “Thank you for helping us.”

“No, thank you for coming. I…think this might be more interesting than you think,” Kyungsoo said, his words slowly measured.

“Can we have dinner now?” Lu Han said, getting to his feet as well.

Yixing started to stand, but was stopped when Chen tugged on his sleeve. He held out his hand, and Yixing laughed helplessly, pulling him up as well.

“Let’s go home,” Chen said, leaning into Yixing’s shoulder. His weight was warm against his side.

“I think we’re going home,” Yixing said, when Kyungsoo looked at him expectantly.

“Mina’s cooking really is very good,” Kyungsoo said, but Yixing shook his head. 

“Maybe some other time,” Yixing said.

“Kyungsoo’s cooking is good too,” Lu Han added, but waved at him anyway as Yixing nodded and took his leave.

“I’ll mail you if anything comes up,” Kyungsoo promised. It wasn’t until they were on the bus home that Yixing realised he’d never given Kyungsoo his mail.

[☆](http://www.animeyume.com/chobits/chobook3.html)

Chen, Yixing soon found out, recharged by _sleeping_. He was also a disaster in the kitchen, dropped half the socks on the way to the laundry room, and was generally about as helpful as Lu Han was with the dishes. The only real difference was that Chen at least tried to help, and by the end of the second week, was pretty good about cleaning the bathroom if nothing else. Yixing figured that in time, he’d get the hang of the dishes. At least he was good at loading the dishwasher. And it was always handy to have someone else around to carry the groceries, even if Yixing didn’t really need much for just one person.

He still took Chen with him to work, even though he was no longer too worried about leaving him at home by himself. The Konpa had taken to amusing himself with the pile of books that Yixing kept in his room, digging them out from the closet Yixing had stuffed his old things in, and had become quite the terror at _Plants vs Zombies_. But Yixing enjoyed having someone to talk to on the commute to and from work, even with the awkward moment when Chen didn’t understand why Yixing had stood up and offered his seat to a pregnant woman, asking instead why she was so lumpy. Yixing had apologised profusely, and once they were off the bus, had tried to impress on Chen the importance of keeping _some_ thoughts to himself.

“But I don’t think,” Chen had said simply, and Yixing sighed, supposing that that was true.

“Well, just…don’t say…everything?” he’d said, but how did you explain social etiquette to someone who only understood logic. Yixing had ended up sighing, and steering Chen towards the bookstore instead. 

Lu Han, for his part, seemed all too gleeful about, well, too many things. “I told you a Konpa was a good idea,” he said. Sehun had gotten over his initial wariness with Chen and was currently standing on the Konpa’s lap, poking at his not-very-stretchy cheeks.

“Chen’s not _like_ a Konpa, so your argument is invalid,” Yixing said.

“My argument is perfectly valid,” Lu Han said, wrinkling his nose at Yixing. “It’s your brain that isn’t valid.”

“What are you, three?”

“You’re a year younger than me, so that would make you two.”

“I’m one twentieth of your life younger than you, so I’d be—wait I don’t think it works like that.”

“Fifty five days less than three,” Chen supplied, words garbled. Sehun had grabbed his cheeks in both hands, stretching them into a comical smile.

Lu Han grinned, patting Chen on the shoulder. “Well there’s your answer!” he said.

Yixing groaned.

“Does it bother you that I’m a Konpa?” Chen asked later that evening when they were home. On a whim, Yixing had decided to clean the entire apartment from top to bottom, which was turning out to be quite a feat, as it was a task he’d left undone for the past three years. He was in the process of emptying a case of old clothes, sweaters and tshirts stacked in piles around him, the suitcase still half-full with a jumble of sleeves and pant legs. Yixing paused, leaning back against the bed as he folded a pair of socks.

“No,” he said honestly. Chen reached over to the pile, snagging one of the sweaters.

“Sehun said you don’t like Konpas,” Chen said, tugging the sweater over his head. Yixing knew he didn’t actually need it—Chen had his own climate control system that kept him at just under thirty seven degrees on the surface, not to mention, Konpas didn’t feel temperature shifts the same way humans did. Yixing made a mental note to tell Lu Han to tell his MiniKon to be a bit more discreet.

“I…didn’t want a Konpa,” Yixing admitted.

“You don’t want me?”

“No! No I want you,” Yixing said quickly. “I mean, I didn’t know I wanted you, but...”

Chen hummed, apparently satisfied with the answer. Yixing watched as he stood up, the tips of Chen’s fingers just visible past the end of the sleeves. It was a little large on Yixing too. Chen pulled a box from the top shelf of the closet, sitting down to sort through it.

“What’s this?” Chen asked.

Yixing looked up from folding the last cardigan, biting his lip when he realised which box Chen had taken down. He took the open box from Chen, glancing at the necklace piled inside. He looped a finger through the chain, pulling it out of the box. A dragon pendant hung at the end of it— “It didn’t suit me,” Yixing said, “so I stopped wearing it.”

“You were wearing it here,” Chen said, dusting off an old picture frame. Yixing crawled over the clothes fortress he’d built up around himself. It was a picture they’d taken at Seaworld when they’d gone during summer vacation last year; Kris had his arm around Yixing’s shoulders, a cool smirk on his face at odds with Yixing’s grin and ‘V’ sign…not to mention the giant whale mascot they were taking the photo with. Yixing laughed softly, taking the photo from Chen and putting it back into the box, face down.

“I think we can leave this box as it is,” he said, plucking it from Chen’s lap and shoving it to the top back corner of the closet. He could feel Chen’s eyes on him as he put the necklace that he’d forgotten he was still holding into his pocket. Yixing pulled down another box, one that had his old high school notes, and put that down in front of Chen instead.

“Just tell me if there’s anything sort of useful in here,” he said, very much doubting that there was. From the look that Chen gave him, he did as well. Yixing wondered if it had to do with the “TO BURN” scrawled all across the top of the box in thick permanent marker.

He quickly climbed over to the clothes again.

Yixing poked at the pile of shirts—he hadn’t worn any of this since before he’d started university. He hadn’t grown since then either, so he was sure it still _fit_ physically, but…

“Chen, is there anything here you want? I’m thinking of giving the rest of this away.”

Chen looked up from where he was leafing through one of Yixing’s old notebooks, glanced at him, and then turned back to the notes. “I like it all,” he said. “But I don’t like your socks.”

“So…you want to keep it all?” Yixing asked. So much for throwing it all away. “Except for my socks.” But _he_ liked his socks.

“Yup.”

“Well…okay then,” Yixing said, looking for somewhere to _put_ it all. His studio apartment wasn’t that big, and the drawers and closet were mostly packed with his own clothes and the new additions he’d bought for Chen.

“You can just leave it in there,” Chen suggested. He pointed at the suitcase Yixing had just emptied. “There’s room in it, right? And you have to put the suitcase somewhere anyway.”

“Yes…but…the point was to clean things out…” Yixing said.

“But this makes more sense,” Chen said. “An empty suitcase makes less sense than a full one.”

“I guess so… Well, if that’s what you want, then I’m okay with it!”

While his studio apartment was more than ample for one person and even an occasional second, over the past month, they had run out of room on the book shelf and Yixing had a feeling that there were things in the closet that could go. The futon had become a permanent fixture next to his bed, and Chen was already shoving the cardboard box that they had been using as a sort of bedside table to a new place against the wall, in order to make room for the suitcase. Yixing wasn’t even sure where all the cardboard boxes had come from in the first place.

Chen stepped over the sweater pile, dropping gracelessly onto the floor next to Yixing, half onto his lap. Yixing gave the Konpa a half-hearted shove.

“That _hurt_ ,” he said, but Chen just grinned at him cheekily. Yixing left him to sort the neatly folded piles back into the suitcase, scooping up the socks and dumping them into the sock drawer on the way to the bed.

“It’s past midnight,” he commented. Chen looked up at him over his shoulder before turning back to replacing the clothes. If he really squinted, and with practice, Yixing could just see the hairline fracture where the hatch covering the port joined the rest of Chen’s neck. If he really squinted. As if sensing Yixing’s scrutiny, the Konpa glanced at him again.

“I’ll be right back,” Yixing said, hopping to his feet. He snagged his phone from the kitchen table, slipping out into the hall outside his apartment. He had Lu Han as 3 on speed dial—Lu Han picked up on the second ring.

“What, miss me already?” Lu Han laughed, as soon as he picked up.

“How could I ever,” Yixing said flatly. He leaned against the wall, his hand sliding into his pocket.

“So what’s up?” 

“Doing some spring cleaning,” Yixing said, shrugging out of habit, even though Lu Han couldn’t see. “Late summer.”

“Or early fall,” Lu Han said. “School’s starting in three weeks.”

Yixing groaned. “I was hoping that if I ignored it, it would go away.”

“Haha, the hope of students worldwide. Oh, what about Chen?”

“What about him?” Yixing shifted, sandwiching the phone against his shoulder, shoving his other hand into his pocket as well. He felt a frown flash across his face before he could stop it—thinking better of it, Yixing picked up the phone again and wandered over to the stairwell.

“Well, you’ll have class,” Lu Han pointed out. “You can’t bring him to class.”

“Why not?” Yixing asked. A stiff breeze greeted him as soon as he pushed open the door. He recognised the girl smoking outside the door as someone from the floor above his, and he ducked his head in greeting and waved before meandering in the opposite direction.

“He’s a _Konpa_ ,” Lu Han said exasperatedly. “Konpas aren’t allowed in class, remember?”

Yixing frowned. “Really?”

“Why am I not surprised you forgot? Anyway, what _are_ you going to do about him?”

Yixing tugged at his lip with his teeth. “I’ll think about it,” he said.

“You do have three weeks,” Lu Han said. Yixing supposed it sounded reassuring. “So how’s your cleaning going?”

“Not well,” Yixing admitted with a laugh. “So far, all I’ve managed to get rid of is a layer of dust. Oh, and notes from high school, I guess. I was going to donate some of my old clothes somewhere, but Chen decided he wanted to keep it.”

“He wanted to _what_?” Lu Han sounded mildly outraged. “Is this from when your fashion sense was tragic? Because I saw those pictures, and your clothes were hideous. Tell him no. Now.”

“You spent your high school years looking like a delinquent!” Yixing said. “Besides, have you tried telling him ‘no’ lately?”

“That’s because you set a bad example,” Lu Han said.

“I’m _persistent_ not stubborn.”

“The two of you are coming shopping with me tomorrow, and no, I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Who’s the stubborn one now?”

“I’m doing this for your own good,” Lu Han said mock-seriously.

“Hmm,” Yixing hummed.

There was a long silence on the other side of the line. Yixing leaned back against the wall with the phone held between his cheek and shoulder again, hands in pockets. The night air seemed to be suffused with silence. He toyed with his keycard and the chain it hung on, listening to Lu Han’s breathing.

“So that’s all you managed to clear out?”

“I decided I liked my old stuffed animals too much to toss them.”

Lu Han sighed. Yixing pretend he didn’t hear. “I’ll see you tomorrow as usual. Morning or after work?” Lu Han said.

“Um, can you even wake up in the morning?” Yixing teased.

“Shut _up_ and yes, I changed Sehun’s settings. Just for that, I’m coming to get you at eight.”

“Wh—” but before Yixing could finish his protest at the unholy hour, Lu Han had already hung up, cackling. Yixing sighed. The streets were truly empty at this time. In a window across the street, he could see the silhouette of the elderly lady that lived there. Her children had moved out of the country a few years ago, but had bought her a Konpa before they’d left. The night was dark now; the quarter moon from earlier in the evening had dipped below the horizon. When Yixing glanced to his left, the girl from before was gone. He pushed off from the wall, loosening his shoulders as he went back inside.

Chen was asleep by the time he returned. Kyungsoo had offered to put together a power adapter for Chen’s port, but for the time being, Chen said he didn’t mind “sleeping” when Yixing was sleeping anyway. The lights were still on—Konpas didn’t perceive light in the same way humans did. Yixing crouched down next to the futon, fingers hovering over Chen’s wrist. The Konpa had his usual half-smile on, as if dreaming something particularly pleasant. But then again, Konpas didn’t dream. For a brief moment, Yixing wondered how Konpas perceived at all—a binary of 1 and 0 and superimposed q-bits and strings of data—but it was all too complex for him to think about for long.

Chen had rearranged the room while Yixing had been downstairs, the suitcase acting as his new bedside table, a book sitting on it. On a whim, Yixing picked it up and placed it on his own bedside table. He quickly stripped down and got ready for bed, plugging his phone into the charger and setting the alarm.

The book was the third volume in a series that Chen had taken an especial liking to. Yixing had called their supplier at the bookstore and found that it was an ongoing series, currently on the fourth volume, but the fourth volume was out of stock. It was a picture book, the drawings simple and the lines clean, although the same couldn’t be said about the story.

Yixing slipped under the covers, sitting up against the wall as he flipped through the pages. The story, from what he’d understood, was about someone who was one of _them_ , super-people that humans had created. “Like Konpa,” Yixing had commented to himself.

“ _But then people forget their dreams_ ,” he read aloud, the words tumbling in his mouth. “ _What makes one person happy, might make another sad._ ”

He shut the book, leaving it on the table and turning off the light. “A city with no people…”

The memory of the empty street from moments before crept through his mind like the rising tide as he slipped into sleep. 

As promised, Lu Han was pounding on his door at eight sharp. Yixing was in the middle of doing the dishes from breakfast, so Chen opened the door, rolling his eyes all the while. Lu Han patted Chen on the head before flying across the room to drape himself across Yixing’s shoulders.

“I’m surprised _you’re_ awake,” Lu Han said.

“If wanting to one-up me gets you out of bed, maybe I should change all my classes to the morning schedule too. Your teachers would thank me,” Yixing said. He dried his mug and replaced it in the cupboard before elbowing Lu Han off and wiping his hands on a towel.

Lu Han looked at him with mock-wounded eyes, open larger than usual and an exaggerated pout. Yixing quirked an eyebrow.

“Okay, let’s go let’s go~ We don’t have much time before you have to go to work.”

“I have the day off,” Yixing said. Lu Han had grabbed Yixing’s bag from where he’d left it next to the desk and pulled Chen out with him before the Konpa had even gotten his shoes on properly.

“@___@” said Chen.

“Oh, that’s right, I forgot to tell you earlier, but Jongin’s meeting us at the mall.” A happy smile spread across Lu Han’s face, and Yixing’s heart skipped a beat—his friend, he realised, over a year later was still very much in love.

“Jongin?” Chen asked, reaching for Yixing’s hand.

“Yeah he’s…” Yixing trailed off, trying to remember the last time he’d seen Lu Han’s boyfriend.

“A month and a half ago?” Yixing said.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Lu Han said at the same time.

“Your boyfriend is a month and a half ago?” Chen asked, confused.

“No, no, I mean, the last time I saw him was before you were here, so that’s why you don’t know him,” Yixing corrected quickly.

“Hey, wasn’t that the day we went Konpa shopping?” Lu Han suddenly realised. “When you said you didn’t want a Konpa!”

“ _Lu Han_.”

Yixing squeezed Chen’s hand, but the Konpa merely looked at him questioningly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Han’s face fell as he looked away, chewing at his lip. A pang of guilt stabbed through Yixing—he’d spoken unusually harshly. Yixing draped his other arm around Lu Han’s shoulder, pulling the older boy over in a good-natured hug. Chen drew closer as well, and laughing, Yixing slung an arm around Chen’s shoulders.

Jongin was already there by the time they got to the mall, a ten minute train ride away. The younger boy was sitting on a bench near the entrance, a hoodie slung carelessly over his shoulders as he slouched over, tapping restlessly against the screen of his phone, headphones in his ears. He didn’t notice them approach, Chen half hanging off Yixing’s arm, until Lu Han tapped him on the shoulder. A grin flared across Jongin’s face before it melded into something far more passive, as he let Lu Han tug him to his feet.

“I’m surprised you came,” Lu Han said as they strolled passed shops.

Jongin shrugged. “I had nothing better to do,” he said. He suddenly frowned and craned his neck around both Lu Han and Yixing. Chen cocked his head, meeting Jongin’s stare head on. After a second, Jongin frowned questioningly at Yixing.

“Mm?” Yixing said.

“I thought—never mind,” Jongin cut himself off mid sentence, and went back to his walking normally next to Lu Han.

“You thought?” It was Chen who echoed Jongin’s question. 

“Oh, that’s right!” Yixing clapped his hands together. “We were just talking about how you two haven’t met. Jongin-ah, this is Chen. Jongin is the one we were talking about.”

“Chen is a Konpa,” Lu Han supplied absentmindedly. “Oh! Sale! I like this store!”

As Jongin heaved a long-suffering sigh when Lu Han pulled them both with him across the entire hallway of the mall, Yixing looped an arm firmly around Chen’s waist.

“ _I’m_ surprised you came,” Yixing said to Jongin behind Lu Han’s back, eyes teasing. “I thought you hated shopping.”

Jongin shot him a dirty look.

Some ten or twenty stores at _least_ later and more outfits than any of them could count, Lu Han and Yixing were both carrying a few bags apiece, and Lu Han had managed to convince Jongin into getting a handsome cardigan from the upcoming fall season, and a few t-shirts and a pair of jeans that had been on sale. He’d had far less success with Chen, the Konpa eyeing everything critically—even so, they hadn’t come away empty handed either. While Lu Han congratulated himself for a job well done, Yixing wasn’t so sure about that.

“I’m thirsty,” Lu Han said, as he flopped onto a bench. Jongin sat down next to him and didn’t look like he was going to move for the foreseeable future. Chen followed suit, sitting down next to Jongin, leaving Yixing the only one standing, and the only one Lu Han was staring at meaningfully.

Yixing stared back.

Lu Han stuck his lips out in a pout.

“Fine, fine, I’m going!” Yixing dumped his bags on top of Lu Han’s lap, the other boy reminding him that he only wanted a _little_ bit of whipped cream!

“So picky,” Yixing complained under his breath, but loud enough for Lu Han to hear.

“I want whatever he has,” Jongin said without looking up. He’d gone back to playing with his phone, although Yixing didn’t miss the way he’d scooted closer to Lu Han in the meantime until their thighs were touching.

Chen got to his feet. “I’m coming with you,” he said.

Yixing waved him back. “It’s okay, just rest.”

Chen gave him a funny look. “I don’t get tired,” he said.

Yixing thought about this for a moment. “Right,” he said, scratching his head. “You’re a Konpa.”

“If you’ve figured that much out…” Lu Han said from behind him.

Yixing rolled his eyes at Lu Han. “Going, going,” he said. He grabbed Chen’s hand, the Konpa half-jogging a few steps until they were walking at the same pace.

“I thought you wanted to empty your closet,” Chen said after a moment. “Not fill it.”

Yixing laughed helplessly. “But if I’m here anyway, I can’t not get anything… Oh, did you have fun? Those jeans look good on you.”

“Of course they look good on me,” Chen said. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“…” Yixing’s expression was full of black lines: = =|||

“Where are we going anyway?” Chen asked.

“Coffee store around the corner,” Yixing said. “It’s not too far.”

It was near noon already, and while Saturday morning had been fairly quiet and calm, the mall had quickly filled up with both people and Konpa—families, couples of humans, humans with their Konpa, high school students killing time. Chen held on tightly to Yixing’s hand as they weaved through the crowds, still a little overwhelmed by all the people. Ah, that’s right, Yixing realised. Other than the train, Chen had never seen so many people in one place. The streets and the grocery store and the book store were never this crowded.

“Do you miss him?”

The question startled Yixing. “Sorry?” he asked, not entirely sure if he’d caught Chen’s words correctly.

Chen blinked. “Do you miss him?” he repeated.

“Lu Han?”

Chen shook his head. “You said it didn’t suit you,” he said. He pointed at Yixing’s chest—his hand went to it self-consciously, and the pendant dug accusingly into his palm. Yixing tucked it back under his shirt. It must have slipped out sometime when he’d been trying on clothes.

“The person in the picture,” Chen clarified. “I think…it reminds you of him.”

“Have you been reading too many silly books again?” Yixing asked. He ruffled Chen’s hair, the Konpa ducking away indignantly with a noise of complaint. Yixing laughed, but it sounded hollow in his own chest. 

Yixing ordered their usual drinks, although he remembered that Jongin usually liked a lot of whipped cream, as opposed to Lu Han’s specific just a _little_ bit. “It’s for my friend,” he told the cashier when she gave him a weird look. Which meant she was human, Yixing realised, but yes, it was weird.

All of them fit into one tray, so Chen just trailed beside him as they walked back. In the time they were gone, one of Jongin’s hands had somehow ended up in Lu Han’s lap, although as soon as he saw them, he pulled it back as if burnt, coolly tucking it into his pockets as if it had never been anywhere else. Lu Han looked away, his ears red. Yixing scoffed. 

The rest of the day passed uneventfully; after a break, Lu Han pulled them to their feet to ransack another few stores before Yixing insisted on lunch, with Jongin in complete agreement. Chen had grown quickly disinterested in the whole affair, and had dug a book out of Yixing’s bag to read to pass the time, even when they traipsed from store to store, Yixing keeping a firm hand on his shoulder to keep him from slamming into passerby. By the time Lu Han was satisfied, Yixing was more than ready to go home. Jongin…looked like Jongin usually did on shopping trips. Chen had simply traded one book for another.

“I want to go see a movie,” Jongin suddenly said. They stopped walking, Lu Han and Yixing trading looks, Yixing glancing at Chen who still had his head buried in a book.

“I…would be up for a movie,” Lu Han said. Behind him, Jongin barely stifled his beam.

Yixing patted Lu Han on the arm. “Have fun, I think I’ve done enough today for a month. I want to go home and rest. Chen?”

“Home,” the Konpa agreed. That’s right, Chen never seemed to show much interest in movies in the first place.

“So have fun you two, and don’t stay out too late! Lu Han don’t forget that Jongin-ah isn’t in university yet!”

So saying, Yixing pulled a bewildered Chen with him out of the mall entrance and towards the train station to head back home, leaving behind a Lu Han that had turned bright red and a Jongin who was suspiciously all too smug. On second thought, Yixing didn’t really want to know.

Fate really was fate. The entire way home—the entire afternoon, really—Yixing felt like he’d been walking through somewhat of a haze, probably a combination of the heat and the sudden crowds that he hadn’t been used to in quite some time. It was Chen who’d tugged Yixing’s sleeve as they’d walked home from the train stop, and it wasn’t until they were crouched in front of the cardboard box with the two kittens that Yixing realised where they were.

This was the exact spot where he’d first met Chen a month ago. It felt much longer than that.

“They’re cute,” Yixing agreed with Chen. The kitten lapped at his finger, and Yixing stroked its head.

“We’re keeping them, right?” Chen said.

“Su— wait, I didn’t say yes yet!” Yixing suddenly realised mid word what Chen was suggesting, and he stared at the Konpa. Chen gave him the most pitiful puppy eyes a Konpa could possibly give.

“We don’t have room!” 

The kittens meowed.

“We can’t just _leave_ them here,” Chen said.

The thought seemed too familiar to Yixing to be comfortable. 

“I guess…they’re not very big,” Yixing said doubtfully. To be honest, they were tiny, barely bigger than his hand, but Yixing had no doubt they would grow.

“So that’s a yes,” Chen decided by himself. He scooped up the box, kittens and all, and ran ahead without waiting for Yixing. Yixing stood up with a sigh. That day, there had been garbage piled against the wall—today, there was nothing. Maybe the trash had already been taken away.

Chen walked ahead of Yixing the entire way back, glancing behind him every now and then and making impatient noises, telling Yixing to hurry up. Yixing strolled along leisurely behind him, laughing at Chen’s impatience. Every now and then, one of the two kittens would poke its head out from over the edge of the box, its pink nose quivering in the late summer air. One was grey with a white mask, its sibling a paler tabby. Once they were in the apartment, Chen set about putting together a cat-bed of sorts for them. Yixing watched as the boy bustled around the apartment, before he eventually settled on a sweater he didn’t like quite as much as the others, and settled the two tiny furballs into the make-shift nest.

Yixing watched the boy as he crouched down next to them, a quiet smile unfurled across his face. His eyes crinkled at the edges, upturned corners and tiny crescents as he laughed, the tan kitten batting at his outstretched finger.

Chen looked up, meeting Yixing’s eyes, still laughing. Yixing smiled back, and turned back to what he’d been doing—looking for something suitable for kittens. Except, he hadn’t had a cat since he was a child—there was no cat food in the apartment. “I’ll be right back!” he yelled over his shoulder as he grabbed his wallet. “You can use the blue dish for water!”

True to his word, Yixing jogged to the convenience store, picking up a couple cans of kitten food, the entire trip taking less than fifteen minutes. Chen was still occupied by the kittens, cradling them in his lap now. When he heard Yixing come in, he put them back down, trotting over to see what Yixing was holding.

“Don’t kittens drink milk?” Chen asked.

“Mmm, when they’re smaller, I think,” Yixing said. He didn’t remember a lot of it, but while the kittens were small, they seemed past the ‘baby’ stage. While Chen filled a dish with water, Yixing portioned out the kitten food into another dish. As soon as they smelled the scent of food, the kittens both perked up and began a chorus of meows. Chen ran over, balancing both dishes, putting them down before scooping the kittens up and placing them next to the dish. Yixing sat down next to him, watching as Chen’s fingers kept creeping closer to pat one of the two, but pulling them back when the kitten looked up curiously, distracted. When Chen laughed, his eyes all but disappeared.

“Yixing. _Yixing!_ ” Yixing hadn’t even noticed he’d dozed off until Chen shook him.

“H-huh?” Yixing blinked. The kittens had already finished the food, and Chen was pouting at him.

“Why are you being like this," Chen complained. "Pay attention!”

“To?”

“To me! I _said_ , I’m going to stay home tomorrow to make sure the kittens are okay, can you go to work by yourself?” If the look that Chen was giving him wasn’t one of genuine concern, Yixing would have burst out laughing. As it was, Yixing couldn’t help the tiny chuckle that bubbled through.

“I’ve been going to work myself for a long time,” Yixing reassured him. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” Chen said somewhat doubtfully. “It’s just that you didn’t bring your phone with you just now, and you tried to open the can with the potato peeler at first.”

Yixing frowned. Had he? “I did?”

“You did,” Chen said. Sated, the kittens had snuggled into Chen’s lap, and were evidently nodding off to sleep. Chen was stroking them absentmindedly, fingers smoothing down the fur on their tiny heads.

“Oh,” was all Yixing could say. “I’ll be careful tomorrow?”

Chen hmmed, and turned back to the kittens. It wasn’t until Yixing had turned off the lights and they were both lying in bed that either of them spoke again.

“Good night,” Yixing said.

“What does it feel like to miss someone?” Chen said.

Yixing had no answer for him.

[☆](http://www.animeyume.com/chobits/chobook4.html)

Chen named the kittens Star and Dawn. “Because of you and Lu Han,” he said. “I like you. And I guess him too…” The tabby, Dawn, was the calmer of the two, although there were times when she wasn’t outdone by her brother. He stayed home most days, playing with the kittens, instead of accompanying Yixing to work like he used to. On the other hand, this answered the question of what Chen would do when Yixing was away at classes. Baekhyun missed Chen’s presence the most, until four days in, Yixing finally invited him home to see the two kittens. Kyungsoo had come by once to give Chen the charging adapter he'd made, but Yixing hadn't seen Chen use it even once yet. Lu Han either dropped by to visit or called the two of them out on meal dates fairly often, sometimes bringing Jongin with him, sometimes Kyungsoo, sometimes bringing Sehun along.

So Yixing didn’t think anything of it when Lu Han called one day just before school was about to start and said he was dropping by to pick up Chen, meet him for dinner at the usual place, oh, and he was bringing a friend.

It’s just him and Chen when Yixing arrives.

“Hey,” Lu Han greets, waving him over. “Kyungsoo said they'd be a bit late.”

“They?” Yixing asks, sliding into a chair next to Chen and swinging his bag underneath.

"Kyungsoo and a friend," Lu Han said. He nodded at Chen, and Yixing suddenly remembered the email that Kyungsoo had sent him a few days ago. Something about something about Chen's systems, but then Dawn had tangled around Chen's legs while he was carrying their water dish, and Yixing had forgotten about it shortly after.

“He won’t tell me either,” Chen said. He shot Yixing a wounded look. 

“How was your day?” Yixing asked him.

Chen grinned. “I think they’re almost litter trained!”

“I asked how was _your_ day, not the kittens,” Yixing said with a groan, but Chen knew that he was as curious about the kittens’ progress as much as he was.

“They’re really big now,” Lu Han said. “Or a lot bigger than before.”

“Are they? I guess you don’t notice it as much when you see them every day. Oh, thank you!" Yixing said, a waitress coming by to leave a glass of water.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked.

"We're still waiting for someone," Lu Han said. He suddenly squinted at something behind Yixing. "...or not!"

"Let me know when you're ready," she said, leaving them with a smile.

Yixing and Chen shared a glance and then swivelled around as one, Lu Han waving someone over—Yixing's breath caught in his throat. She was chattering away with Kyungsoo, a puzzled expression flashing across her face when she glanced up to see who Kyungsoo was waving at. As for him, well, his expression barely changed when their eyes met, his brows tightening in the subtlest of manners, his face still in the same impassive frown that it'd been in when he'd walked into the restaurant.

"It's him." Chen spoke softly. When Yixing turned to look at him, Chen was frowning as well, but as if in question.

"Yixing gege!" Amber almost flew over once she'd caught sight of them, leaving a confused Kyungsoo trailing behind. She caught him in a tight hug before Yixing had even completely stood. "Kyungsoo didn't mention you at all, man, all I knew was about—Chen, right?"

Chen frowned quizically at Yixing who nodded.

"Hey, Amber," Lu Han said. His smile seemed a little tight around the edges, and Yixing bit at his lip.

Amber's reply as she swept around the table to give Lu Han a hug as well was cut off as Yixing waved at the two boys that Amber had left behind. "Long time no see," Yixing said. Kyungsoo looked at him, his eyes round and brows knit in confusion, and then back at Amber's companion, taller than him by half a head. 

"You know each other?" Kyungsoo asked.

"You could say that."

"In more ways than one," Yixing added, a quiet chuckle leaving behind a lopsided smile. "How've you been, Kris?"

Kris smiled, the firm control over his expression lending an air of severity over his entire visage. Kyungsoo slipped into the seat across from Yixing and Amber sat down next to him, leaving the only empty seat the one next to Yixing. Kris pulled back the chair, folding his legs under the table.

"Have you been taking care of yourself, Xing-ah?" Kris asked instead.

Yixing grimaced. "I'm an adult!" 

"Don't tease him," Amber warned, reaching across the table and giving Kris a sharp rap on his arm.

"And you know each other too?" Kyungsoo asked, looking between Amber and Yixing this time.

"We go way back, Xingxing gege and me," Amber said. "And you said it was someone I didn't know!"

Kyungsoo stared back, eyes wide. "Well how was I supposed to know!?"

"Okay, introductions over, can we order food now?" Lu Han cut short any further tirades from Kyungsoo with a roll of his eyes. "I'm starving. We can talk after."

Yixing ordered a chicken alfredo pasta, and was surprised when Kris did as well. "I thought you didn't like chicken alfredo," he murmured under his breath.

Kris just shrugged back at him.

Kyungsoo cleared his throat to get their attention. "So like I said, I wanted to check with someone who knew more about custom Konpas than I did. Although _someone_ was a little slow on the replies because they were busy—" this was accompanied by an eyeroll, and Yixing could guess exactly what Amber had been busy with "—and we both agreed we wanted to do some digging ourselves before telling you anything."

"So?" Lu Han prodded. "What did you find?"

Kyungsoo nodded at Amber. The girl thought for a minute before leaning forward, propping her chin in her hands. "Yixing, how much do you know about Konpas?"

"Um," Yixing said, scratching at the back of his head. He glanced at Chen; the Konpa was staring at Amber. "It stands for computerised companion?"

Amber laughed. "Close enough," she said. "The important part is 'computerised', as in, not human. Konpas might look human or act human, but at the end of the day, they're just that—computerised. Cold, hard logic. Everything they say or do is determined by an algorithm, a program, that reacts to the situation. We can customize our Konpas, build them away from the standardized personality models, tweak them, add features, but we can't change the part that they're computerised. It's all in the code. All we do is change the code.

"It makes sense, right? So Konpas are ultimately predictable, just like we want. We can introduce a 'random' factor—this isn't in the standard kits, by the way—to mimic human irrationality. Actually, that's what I've been working on, it's pretty cool—but anyway, it's not quite the same, y'know, it's still all in the code. It's impossible to break away from that. But what if—and this is a huge if—there existed a Konpa for which that wasn't the case?"

"...In what way?" Yixing asked. This time, when he looked at Chen, the Konpa gave him a puzzled expression. 

"If there was something _other_ than logic," Amber said. Her eyes were faintly sparkling. Kyungsoo was biting his lip, a smile sitting on his lips. Lu Han was frowning in thought, nodding as Amber spoke.

"Feelings," Kyungsoo said. "A Konpa with feelings, emotions, something utterly unpredictable, that can't be coded."

"That _we_ can't code," Amber said. She leaned in further, her voice dropping, just audible above the sound of cutlery against dishes and the chatter of the restaurant. "But, maybe, someone else _did_."

"You just said that was impossible," Yixing said.

Amber nodded, leaning back in the chair. "I did. That's why it's a bit of an urban legend, and not one too many people know. But lucky for you, I've spent a lot of time researching it, which is why Kyungsoo here contacted me."

"How did I never know this about you?" Yixing said. "We practically grew up together!"

"You never asked!" Amber laughed.

"I'm sure there's more about her you don't know," Kris commented from beside him, causing Yixing to choke on his water. Amber flushed a bright red as well, and from the muffled thump under the table, had kicked Kris sharply in the shins.

"Can we get back on topic?" Kyungsoo said.

"I concur," Lu Han muttered. He shot Kris a particularly foul look.

The waitress arrived with their food at that moment, and they all took a moment to dig in first, Chen poking curiously at Yixing's bowl. Yixing sneaked a glance to his right—Kris seemed to be eating with relish.

"Chobits," Amber said, a few minutes later, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "They're called Chobits."

Yixing looked up from his pasta and slid a hand under the table to rest on top Chen's. "And...you think Chen is a Chobits?"

Kyungsoo and Amber shared a look. After a long moment, Amber nodded.

"Maybe," Kyungsoo said. "While Amber was looking into other things, I investigated the traces I obtained from Mina. Nami was indispensible in analyziing the data. Here's the thing—legally, you're supposed to register any custom Konpas you create, the same way you register standard Konpas. Chen...had no serial code. On top of that, his entire system had been built from scratch. There's not that many people who can do that. Even Amber here uses a modified version of a standard root system. I went through all known coding styles—you get to know people in the community—and came up with something interesting.

"The inventor of the Konpas—not her, but her brother. It wasn't an exact match, but it was close. Which led us to think..."

"The someone else who could code a Chobit is the one who created the Konpa..." Yixing said.

Amber nodded. "Or someone who knew aas much about them as she did. But here's the real cincher. Kyungsoo sent me the pictures of the connector port, and—" Amber pulled out her phone, tapping it on "—I couldn't help but feel like I'd seen that layout somewhere before. Here, take a look at this."

Yixing took the phone she proffered him. He glanced at Kris, but the other boy just shrugged and shook his head, apparently disinterested. Yixing bit at his lip and showed it to Chen. It _was_ Chen's connector port, but with one major difference.

"B...I...T?" Yixing spelled aloud the letters that were just visible at the edge of the photo. Chen didn't seem all too interested in the photo either, so Yixing handed it back to Amber.

"Bit. Chobit. It's very possible," Amber said. "And one other thing. Kyungsoo can be a bit slow at times—" this drew a 'hey!' of protest from Kyungsoo "—but those ports were never used commonly on Konpas. The serial logic made it almost impossible to use. Usual ports these days are 32 pin—they never went below sixteen. The one in this picture—and the one Chen has, are both 8-pin. Can you imagine coding something like that? The efficiecy on that would have to be crazy insane. Not something anyone could do."

"Um, I'm going to pretend I know what you're talking about," Yixing said.

Amber waved it aside dismissively. "Point is, that it really isn't common—no wonder Mina crashed when she tried to connect to him."

"In other words, we don't think it's a coincidence," Kyungsoo finished.

Yixing surveyed the three people in front of him—even Lu Han looked far more excited than Yixing felt. To his left, Chen looked as impassive as ever. Yixing leaned back, scratching at his head. "I don't get it. If Chen is a Chobit...then what?"

" _Then what!?_ " Kyungsoo fairly squawked. "Chobits are _legendary_ , even the stories only said that one or two were created, and that was it. Chen is rare, really rare. What do you think, Yixing, you know him best, does he have emotions?"

Yixing shrugged, and then looked sideways at Chen. "We're talking about you. Do you have emotions?"

"Emotions?" Chen asked, question marks in his eyes. "What are emotions?"

"Feelings?" Yixing tried. This only drew more puzzlement.

Amber hummed, tapping the table. "Do you ever think about something, and then get a funny feeling here?" Amber patted her own chest.

Chen's eyes narrowed, brows knitting together, before his eyes slowly widened. He glanced at Yixing—he looked _scared_ , Yixing suddenly realised, and he squeezed his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amber and Kyungsoo share another look, Kyungsoo biting at his lip.

"Keep him safe," Kyungsoo said.

Their waitress arrived to clear the dishes, the entire table silent except to say thank you. _Keep him safe_? What did Kyungsoo mean? Chen still had the same expression on his face from before. Yixing bit at his lip. "Of course," he said aloud. I've kept you safe since I saw you—even though Lu Han thought I should just throw you out again, I never would. I'll always keep you safe. Believe me.

Kris's fingers brushed against the back of his wrist, and Yixing jerked back as if scorched. He stared at Kris, breath caught in his throat—the look in his eyes was frighteningly familiar. He tore his eyes away, glancing at Amber, but Amber was engrossed by something on her phone, and had missed the moment entirely. 

"You've been ignoring me," Kris said, low enough so only Yixing could hear. Lu Han was asking Chen about the kittens, and Kyungsoo and Amber were both occupied with their phones.

Yixing worried at his lip. "Stop it," he hissed. "Amber! Your girlfriend. In case you've forgotten, I'm your ex."

"I'd never forget," Kris murmured. "You wouldn't let me."

After that, it was impossible to ignore Kris sitting next to him, because, of course, he _had_ been pushing Kris's presence out of his mind. Between Kris and what Amber and Kyungsoo had told him, it was no surprise then that Yixing's mind was elsewhere. It was no surprise that he never noticed the way Chen stared at him the whole night through.

[☆](http://www.animeyume.com/chobits/chobook5.html)

The question of what exactly Chen was fell to the back of his mind as soon as school started up again. As to the question of what he'd do with Chen during this time, that sorted itself out easily enough. The kittens were old enough to be left at home for stretches at time, happily occupied with the scratching post and other toys Chen had insisted on buying them, or simply lazing in the sun by the window. They fall into a schedule of sorts; leaving in the morning together, Chen heading off to the bookstore where Baekhyun had pestered their manager into letting him work. All of Yixing's classes were in the morning, leaving his afternoons free to study. He'd realised a year late that he'd forgotten to take one of his required courses, so he was stuck taking polisci this term with the second years. The entire thing made his head spin, but the joint music business program had been the best bet for him to do what he loved, however cheesy that sounded. The first time he stepped into one of the media labs, Yixing hesitated—he hadn't been here all summer.

But he had an assignment to finish, so there were no two ways about it but to sit down at a keyboard and figure it out.

Some days, Chen joined him on campus while he was studying. At first, Yixing found it somewhat odd to have someone stare at him so intensely, but Chen promised not to distract him. Like everything else involving the other boy, Yixing got used to it sooner rather than later, and he soon came to enjoy the constant companionship. The TA for his music composition class happened to be one of Amber's friends, a round-faced boy with a bright smile, two years older than him, and Henry didn't mind when Chen trailed him to the tutorial for the class. Lu Han, as usual, didn't seem very busy, and Yixing wondered if he ever studied at all.

"Of course I do!" Lu Han always said. "It's not like I'm at the bottom of my class, you know."

"Yeah, but your entire class is full of slackers like you," Yixing would point out, earning himself a sharp slap on the arm. All in all, he spent a good deal of time with Lu Han when he wasn't studying, if only because Jongin had started university as well—on the other side of the city. 

"And he has a dance recital in a few months, and he's always at rehearsal these days," Lu Han said.

Lu Han and Kris had the same Epistimology class—sometimes, Yixing would run into them both at the same time. Kris seemed to intimidate Chen; the Konpa's grip on Yixing's arm tightened every time they saw Kris, Chen staring at the other boy until they had parted ways. Yixing laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, it's because he's tall, isn't he?" Yixing said. "And he doesn't smile very much. He used to scare me too!"

Chen just pouted at him.

Evenings tended to be just as unremarkable and routine. Sometimes, Yixing would go out with his friends from school, taking Chen with him. Chen liked action movies the most, and found dinner the most boring for obvious reasons. On the other hand, even for a Konpa, Chen had a remarkable singing voice—never mind Chen, _Yixing_ loved taking him to karaoke.

"It's not fair," Yixing whined the first time. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Chen smiled, and then laughed sheepishly. "I didn't know either," he said.

One evening in late November, after the rush of midterms and before the crush of final project deadlines, Yixing was sitting in bed, textbook in one hand and notes in the other with Chen sprawled across his lap. The Konpa was reading the newest installment in the series he'd started from the first day he'd awoken, now on the fifth volume. Star was nestled under the crook of Chen's arm, while Dawn had settled on Yixing's other side.

Dawn pawed at Yixing's sleeve and he glanced down at her. The tabby sat upright and mewed, making a leap for Yixing's lap, landing half on Chen's head. The Konpa looked up, rolling over indignantly and nearly squishing Dawn if she hadn't scrambled out of the way.

"It's just your kitten," Yixing said, amused. He stroked Dawn on the head, and then patted Chen on the head in the same movement. Chen hummed, and turned back to his book, apparently placated. With both Dawn and Chen curled up on his lap, Yixing gave up on studying, leaning over to put the book down on the floor, trying not to jar either of the two. Dawn purred contently as Yixing began to stroke her absentmindedly from head to tail, scratching her behind the ear. Wondering what had his sister all excited, Star crawled out from under Chen's arm, clambering over him and butting his head against Yixing's hand as well. Apparently, being used as a makeshift ladder wasn't very conducive to reading, and Chen sat up, flipping Dawn over onto her back, a scowling pout on his face.

"Jealous?" Yixing teased.

The Konpa frowned without answering. He grabbed Star and then nestled himself against Yixing where the cat had been moments earlier, settling Star on his own lap instead. Laughing, Yixing ran his fingers through Chen's hair as well, rubbing him behind his ears. Chen hummed contentedly, snuggling closer to Yixing.

"Are you a cat too?" Yixing asked, amused.

"I'm not human," Chen murmured, sleepy satisfaction in his voice.

"You're all spoiled," Yixing said. Dawn mewed in agreement, drawing laughter from them both. As he switched between patting all of them, Yixing gradually dozed off, three bundles of warmth and joy pulled tight against his chest. The kittens had grown large in the past few months and each carried their own weight, although Chen still weighed as little as he had the first time Yixing had carried him on his back, up the stairs to the apartment and home. He could feel the gradual rise and fall of the kittens' breathing under his hand, but Chen was unnaturally still—artificially still.

Yixing jerked awake, his hand still buried in Chen's hair. The kittens were asleep; Chen had wrapped his arms around Yixing's waist. Feeling Yixing pull his hand back, Chen sat up, looking up at Yixing. The Konpa looked half asleep and unusually vulnerable—Yixing ruffled his hair, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Just like the kittens," Yixing murmured, chuckling.

Chen straightened, his lips parting as if to say something—before his eyes glazed over and he slumped against Yixing's chest.

Yixing's heart skipped a beat.

"Chen? Chen!?"

He grabbed Chen by the shoulders, prying him up, but the Konpa was as limp and as unconscious as he'd been the first time he'd seen him—Yixing's movement awoke the kittens, and they mewed questioningly. Yixing bit his lip, ignoring the way they pawed at his chest. Chen's eyes remained stubbornly closed.

He didn't know what to do. He had no idea what to do. Was he sick? Did Konpas get sick? No, maybe it was because he was special, or had he crashed? Yixing's glanced around the apartment—but nothing suggested itself to him. The kittens began mewing more persistently. Yixing let Chen fall back against his shoulder and picked up the kittens one by one and put them on the bed. He lay Chen down on the bed, pressing the inside his wrist to Chen's forehead before he remembered that Chen wasn't human—but his synthetic skin was unusually hot to the touch.

Yixing's brows furrowed. "A fever?" he wondered aloud. 

The kittens butted their heads against Chen's still form. Yixing worried at his lip, before going to the washroom, soaking a washcloth and wringing it out, before coming back and placing it across Chen's forehead. The Konpa stirred, and Yixing let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He stirred, but Chen's eyes didn't open. 

Yixing glanced at the clock—it was already two in the morning. Lu Han might have been awake, but he doubted Lu Han would have any more idea what to do than he did. Kyungsoo...he liked the other boy, but despite everything, he didn't know him very well, and if he remembered correctly, Lu Han said Kyungsoo tended to keep somewhat regular hours. After a moment's thought, Yixing picked up his phone, scrolling through his contacts.

"Hello?" Kris's sleep roughened voice answered the phone on the fifth ring. It took him by surprise when it shouldn't have—goodness knows the two of them had answered each other's phones enough times in the middle of the night at one point in time.

"Hello?" Kris repeated, annoyed, this time.

"H-hey," Yixing said. He could almost hear Kris's frown on the other end of the phone.

"Yixing?"

"Yeah. I...is Amber there?"

There was the rustle of sheets. "She's sleeping," Kris said. "What is it?"

"It's Chen," Yixing said. "He has a fever and collapsed and...I don't know what to do. Kris, Fan-ah, can you wake her up for me?"

"Your Konpa?"

"Who is it?" Amber's sleepy voice filtered weakly through the handset. There was a muffled sound as Kris put his hand over the phone and said 'go back to sleep', but when he could hear the other line clearly again, it was Amber speaking.

"Gege?"

"Hey Amber," Yixing said. 

"What's up? Is it Chen? Did something happen? Is he okay?" Her words were sleep blurred but still urgent, and Yixing's chest tightened.

"He collapsed," Yixing said. He looked over at the bed, where Chen was still lying still, the kittens sitting on top of his chest now. "I think he has a fever. Can Konpas get fevers? Is it because...he's special?"

There was a pause, and then Amber said: "I'll be right there," before hanging up without another word.

Yixing went back to the bed. Chen's brows were furrowed, even though he was asleep. The kittens had fallen asleep again. Yixing grabbed Chen's hand, running his thumb in the triangle between his thumb and forefinger, but Chen made no indication of registering Yixing's touch. In the past few months, Chen had become more dear to him than he'd ever thought—the thought of losing him, that brief moment when he thought that Chen had deactivated competely again, for good, in the whirl of thoughts that he hadn't dared to articulate—a tighter grip had clawed at his chest than he'd ever known.

He was still sitting there when the door opened. He craned his head around the partition, and was surprised to see Kris standing there. His ex looked like he'd been dragged straight out of bed, his hair, for once, not perfectly styled.

"I still had your keys," he explained, shrugging.

"I made him drive me here." Amber appeared from around him, and after kicking off her shoes in the entryway, all but ran to Chen's side. Kris shut the door behind him and took off his shoes as well.

"It's okay, I know where everything is," Kris said, waving away Yixing's half-hearted ministrations at welcoming a guest. So saying, he disappeared into the kitchen, and Yixing turned back to where Amber was holding her hand against Chen's neck.

"You came," he said lamely.

Amber frowned at him. "Of course I came. I told you to tell me if anything ever came up. What were you doing before this happened?"

Yixing worried at his lip, scratching nervously at the back of his ear. "Nothing," he said. "At least, nothing we don't normally do. Reading, playing with the kittens..."

"No, I mean exactly. Blow by blow. Yixing, please." Amber had already pulled something out of her bag and had slid open the hatch on Chen's neck with practiced ease, plugging the cable into the port and connecting it to a handheld terminal.

Yixing's brows knit as he thought about what Amber meant. "We were reading," he said, "and then...Dawn wanted to be patted and she jumped on top of us—is it because she jumped on his head? Did that do something?"

"I don't know," Amber said, not looking up. "But I doubt it. And then?"

"She's done it before, I think," Yixing mused. "Um, and then...Star climbed over Chen for the same reason, and then Chen...wanted to as well. And then I think I fell asleep, and then I woke up, and Chen sat up, and then—" Yixing hesitated, seeing Kris come around the corner, a mug in hand, his old mug that Yixing had never gotten rid of "—and then he just collapsed."

"You left something out, didn't you?" Amber said. She glanced at him and then at Kris and then back to the screen of her terminal. "Oh. _Oh._ Of course, I should've guessed."

"If you could explain for those of us who can't mindread, that'd be great," Kris commented wryly. 

Yixing stared at Amber. The girl shook her head, a slight _smile_ on her face. Inexplicably, Yixing felt more at ease, as he squeezed Chen's hand.

"He just overheated," Amber said. "His processors couldn't take it. It's dangerous, really dangerous, but—there's nothing in here that really explains why. Just a sudden spike of activity, in a select section of the cores, but an echo effect across the board. I mean, _think_ , if it were you, when would that happen?"

"I...have cores?" Yixing asked.

Amber shook her head. "No, when you get a really intense _feeling_ and it becomes overwhelming like you can't think about anything else—" Yixing didn't miss the way she glanced at Kris "—what would you think have happened?"

Yixing frowned. He stared down at Chen, whose expression had relaxed, and now looked far more peaceful. His temperature seemed to be dropping back to normal as well.

From beside him, there was a little 'ah' of realisation. "Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Kris commented. "That would explain why he seems to hate me too."

"He doesn't hate you!" Yixing protested by reflex. He swivelled around, staring at Kris who just shrugged and took a drink from his cup. "What do you mean?"

"Gege, he _likes_ you," Amber said. She shook her head, amused. "You always were slow about this kind of thing."

Yixing could feel his own eyes widen. A thousand thoughts spun through his mind, but nothing seemed adequate. "But why wouldn't he like me? It'd be weirder if he didn't like me—"

"No, silly, I mean _likes_ likes you. It would make sense, he could, maybe, if he's actually a Chobit, then it would all make sense." Amber shook her head again, but this time, there was a sort of disbelief in it. "Man, I can't believe this. A Konpa that has emotions like that. It's amazing."

"But...it's not for sure, right?" Yixing said, hesitantly. "You can't tell for sure."

Amber reached over Chen and patted him on the knee. "We'll see," she said. "His processor activity seems back to normal now. If he doesn't wake up in the morning, call me again."

Yixing saw the two of them to the door, reluctantly letting go of Chen's hand. "Thank you for coming," he said. "Sorry for waking you up."

"Not really, this was more exciting than sleep," Amber said.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, if only for my sake as well," Kris said. He opened his mouth to say something, but turned to glance at Amber first who nodded and stepped into the hall.

"Sorry for waking you too," Yixing said, watching her lean against the wall.

Kris chuckled. "Maybe you should stop wearing this," he said, voice a mere murmur. Yixing jerked back when Kris reached for his chest—he bit his lip when Kris pulled the pendant out from under his shirt.

"It's not because of you," Yixing protested weakly. "It's just...nice."

"You told me it was tacky," Kris said, letting it drop back down, the metal warm against his skin. "But you wore it anyway. You always were sentimental like that. But we agreed that it wasn't working out—don't forget, you're the one who brought it up, so it's not like you didn't think so too. You need to move on, Xingtuo." Kris shrugged, glancing behind him. "I already have."

"So have I," Yixing echoed hollowly. Kris ruffled his hair, and then stepped back to join Amber in the hall.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Kris repeated. And with one last reminder from Amber to call him if anything happened, the two of them rounded the corner to the stairwell, Kris reaching for Amber's hand just before they disappeared from view.

Yixing went back to Chen. He sat down on the bed, and then after a moment, went to turn off the lights before lying down next to him. Sleep claimed him quickly, leaving him with one last image of Chen's earnest eyes meeting his when Yixing had looked up this afternoon, working in the media lab. Chen had the most beautiful eyes that Yixing had ever seen.

"Good morning."

Chen was leaning over him when Yixing woke up, and there was a moment of disorientation before Yixing broke into a wide grin, pulling him down into a tight hug.

"You're okay," he murmured into the top of Chen's head. "You're okay."

"Of course I'm okay?" Chen's response was muffled, and he pulled himself out of Yixing's embrace. He was frowning, perplexed—but he had no idea about the conversation they'd had the previous night. Yixing wondered if he'd remembered collapsing at all.

"You're sure you feel okay?" Yixing asked, wriggling upright.

Chen nodded, and then he pointed to the clock. "But the question is do you feel okay? You're late for class."

Yixing looked at the clock and then groaned—he'd forgotten all about class last night, and he'd overslept the first class of the day entirely. "Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked, scrambling out of bed and rushing to the bathroom.

"Because I thought you were sick!" Chen said, huffing idignantly. "You never oversleep!"

Yixing gurgled a response from around his toothbrush. Through the mirror, he saw Chen laugh.

He was happy the way it was like this—he put the conversation from the night before out of his mind. Not now. Not today. And especially not when he had to run for class.

[☆](http://www.animeyume.com/chobits/chobook6.html)

It snows two weeks later, during the first week of December. Chen is fascinated—the flakes land on the sleeve of one of Yixing's old jackets, his fingers, and then disappear. "You've read about snow," Yixing said, amused.

Chen shot him an idignant look. "You read about food and you still eat it," he said.

"...True," Yixing conceded.

Chen huffed and then walked ahead of Yixing with purposely quick steps, leaving him to jog a few steps to catch up.

"It's almost Christmas," Yixing said. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" Chen echoed.

"Yeah, a present."

Chen shrugged. "You always get me what I want all the time," he said. "But what do you want?"

"Are you getting me a present?" Yixing asked, laughing. "You don't have to, you know."

"But I want to," Chen said. "There, that's what I want. I want to get you a present. So you better let me and say yes."

"Why wouldn't I say yes?" Yixing asked.

The stop for the bus that went to Yixing's university was first—Yixing stopped, and Chen walked on. "I'll see you later!" he said, waving. "Don't get lost in case you can't see!"

"It's just snow, _you_ don't get lost!" Yixing yelled back, shaking his head at the Konpa's antics.

Yixing half dozed all through class, nodding off in the middle of his polisci lecture. He sat next to the window during his theory class, and watched as the snow got heavier. Maybe he should call Baekhyun to tell him to keep Chen at the store all day, it didn't look like the snow would be letting up anytime soon. But then the prof asked him a question—had he really looked that dazed out?—and Yixing fumbled the answer, making something up off the top of his head.

Chen didn't show up in the media room—he'd probably gone home today. Hopefully the jacket he was wearing was warm enough. This particular assignment was due at the end of the week, and counted for 25% of his final grade, and Yixing still wasn't happy with the chord progression. He saw a couple other frazzled students already there, several first years and a few people from his own class as well. He sat down at an empty terminal and slid the headphones over his ears.

By the time he emerged, somewhat satisfied with the progress he'd made, it was already dark outside. Yixing shivered, waiting for the bus. He pulled out his phone, frowning when he saw seven missed calls—all from Baekhyun. An uneasy feeling crawled up his chest, his throat tightening. He opened the unread texts:

 **Baekhyun:** Pick up your phone!!!!

 **Baekhyun:** Where are you??????

 **Baekhyun:** Yixing????

...

 **Baekhyun:** Yixing, was Chen supposed to come today? He hasn't shown up.

By the time he got to the last text—the first text Baekhyun had sent, Yixing's heart was about to stop. He quickly dialed Baekhyun who picked up before the first ring had even completed.

"Did you get my messages?" was the first thing Baekhyun said.

"He never showed up?" Yixing said at the same time.

"No, but I just got off work and I don't know where he was supposed to be but I couldn't leave but maybe he stayed at home but you'd tell me but then you weren't picking up your phone either and—"

"I was in the media lab," Yixing said. "I'm going home right now. And no, we left home together. I'm sure he's somewhere, I'll...figure this out."

But he wasn't at home, and the kittens hadn't been fed their dinner. Lu Han wasn't picking up his phone. Baekhyun said he'd check the mall, and anywhere else that he might be. Kyungsoo hadn't seen him, but promised to send around word.

"Yixing? Good timing, I was just going to call you. I think—"

"He's missing, Amber," Yixing said, cutting her off. "I can't find him. He's not at home and he never showed up at the bookstore. Can you help me find him?"

"..."

"Amber?"

"Fuck," Amber swore. "I'll help you find him. We'll find him."

Yixing dumped some feed into the kittens' bowl and refilled their water dish, and with a reassuring pat, hurried out the door. The snow had stopped when he'd left school, but it had started snowing with a vengenace again, and the new snowfall was quickly covering the old footprints.

He checked the grocery store and the alley where he'd first found him, but both were empty. He took the first bus back to his university and scoured the grounds and all the buildings Chen might have been in, weaving through the desks in the library, but there was no sign of the Konpa. Baekhyun called, saying he hadn't found him either. Lu Han called back, seeing Yixing's missed call, and Yixing told him what had happened.

"...I'll be right there," Lu Han said.

They ended up meeting by the bookstore. Lu Han pulled up in his car, slamming the door behind him and running out, dressed sharply in a blazer. "Jongin's dance recital was today," he said. "Sorry I couldn't pick up earlier."

Baekhyun's cheeks were rosy from cold, and his hair was damp and flecked with snow and ice when he came running up, two people in tow. "Chanyeol and Tao," he introduced, the two of them both towering over Baekhyun. "They're my friends."

"Baekhyun said someone was missing, so I said we could help," the black haired boy called Tao said. "And it's Zitao. Baekhyun and I are just close."

"And he can't pronounce Zitao, you mean," the other one, Chanyeol, said, grinning. "Baekhyun showed us a picture. If we assume that he had to have gotten off the bus at some point between where he got on and the end of the line, we can start searching from around here. Let's all take a block."

Yixing nodded, more than ready to let someone else give direction. His elbows were cold—he wondered if Chen could feel cold as well. He should've asked. He ran through the street, yelling Chen's name and asking if anyone had seen him, a boy in a black jacket, thin, sharp cheekbones, but no luck. He bumped into Lu Han where their blocks met and Lu Han grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Calm down," Lu Han said. 

"I'm calm, I'm—okay, I'm not calm, how can I be calm?"

Lu Han shook his head. "I'm sure he's fine. I doubt he went off somewhere to die alone or something, is what I'm saying."

" _What_."

"Chen isn't actually your old cat, you know."

"..." And then: "...How did you know?"

Lu Han smiled, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. "You didn't hang up that day," he said. "Let's go back, maybe he'll have shown up."

Yixing didn't know whether to cry or punch Lu Han in the face. "Okay, I'll call Baekhyun," he said.

"No need, I already did."

They walked back to where Lu Han had parked his car, Lu Han driving them to Yixing's place. Amber texted to say that she'd found footage from a security cam of Chen with someone else—someone who Yixing didn't know.

 **Amber:** not 2 worry you but someone might have kidnaped him.... i'll keep looking

"Kidnapped?" Lu Han read, leaning over. Yixing's heart had dropped to the pit of his stomach. "Let's go back and think this over first. Tell her to come to."

A feeling of dread settled heavier and heavier over Yixing the closer they got to his apartment. His throat felt too dry to even speak. There were footprints leading up to the door, but they could have been anyones. He opened the door, Lu Han trailing up after him up the stairs. He hesitated, hand on the door knob—Lu Han took the keys from him and unlocked the door, opening it.

He was sitting at the kitchen table.

Yixing rushed in, wet shoes and all, engulfing Chen in a hug, tears prickling at his eyes.

"You're okay!" he said, on the verge of crying. "You're okay you're okay you're okay."

"I am okay," Chen agreed, patting Yixing on the back. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"I should have given you a phone I never thought, I didn't know, I can't imagine losing you, I never want to lose you—"

"But I'm right here," Chen said, and he could feel his words echo against his chest.

"Amber said you might've been kidnapped," Yixing hiccuped—he'd started crying anyway.

"You're right." The sound of an unfamiliar voice, startled Yixing out of his tears—behind him, Lu Han also made a startled sound. When Yixing turned around, someone was standing there who seemed oddly familiar, even though Yixing had never seen him before except—

"You! You were in that picture!"

"What picture? No, but you're right. Someone did 'kidnap' him. Or, you could say I kidnapped Chen."

The speaker was a pleasant, round faced young man and narrow, tapered eyes. He came to stand next to Chen, and in person, his curves were a sharp contrast to Chen's angles.

"You admit to kidnapping him?" Lu Han asked incredulously. "Kidnapping is a crime. We could call the police!"

"Actually, the police would have filed this as a theft," Chen said, lips curling in a smile. "After all, kidnapping only applies to humans."

"And while we're close to human, but we're not human."

"We're—"

The stranger smiled. "It was rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Minseok. As your friend guessed, and as you have probably guessed, we're not just Konpa—we're Chobits. Thank you for taking care of Jongdae, Zhang Yixing."

"Jongdae...?"

"That's me," Chen said, raising his hand. "But it's okay, you can still call me Chen. I like it."

Yixing bit his lip, looking between the two of them. In the end, it was Lu Han who spoke first.

"Please explain," Lu Han said. "I think there's a lot here that you want to tell us. I'll go make tea."

"I'll grab another chair—" but before Yixing had a chance to go get them, Chen pushed Yixing into a chair and sat down on top of him.

"We have enough chairs," Chen said, grinning cheekily. 

Minseok coughed, and then sat down opposite of the two of them. "Lu Han is right. It is a long story."

"The easiest place to start is always the beginning. Our parents... they wanted children, but our mother was unable to bear children. She would have been alright with it, but our father really wanted a family. So she worked with her brother, and created me. She...was the creator of the Konpas. Her and her team, but she was the one who spearheaded it. So I was born, and I loved our parents, and we were happy. But...he seemed to think I was lonely, and so they created Jongdae as my brother, so we would be less lonely.

"But I wasn't lonely. Even before Jongdae, I wasn't lonely. Like your friend surmised, Chobits...the two of us, are different. We have emotions. Feelings. We're closer to humans than anything. But that means we can suffer from one of humankind's greatest faults...or joys. We can fall in love.

"I fell in love, but I shouldn't have. Because my mother still loved my father and my father still loved my mother and...I loved her in a way I shouldn't have. I said nothing, but that didn't stop me from loving her."

"I thought only I knew," Jongdae cut in. He turned around, his face inches from Yixing's. "But it turned out that they knew all along."

Minseok nodded. "In the end, my processors couldn't handle it. I suppose it was the human equivalent of lovesick. Wanting what I couldn't have, wanting what was wrong, but wanting purely...Maybe it's because she was the first one I saw when I awoke. Maybe it's because she was the one for me."

At some point in time, the others had joined them, and the kitchen was crowded with people standing around—Amber, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and his friends, and even Jongin.

"I didn't want him to disappear," Jongdae said. "I..."

"So Jongdae took my memories and my mind. He took me into him. But in return Jongdae...lost his memories."

"I was the one who asked to be left far away—I didn't want what had happened to Minseok-hyung to happen again. Maybe you could say I was scared," Jongdae chuckled. "But...I don't know, I wonder how many people saw me lying there and thought I was broken or defective?"

"After our mother died," Minseok continued. "Our father told me what had happened. I could always feel Jongdae at the edge of my mind, but unless he wanted to, I never called out to him. I wanted him to be happy. I wanted him to find his own happiness. I wanted him to find the person just for him."

His words echoed with familiarity to Yixing—

"That's right, it turns out that it was Minseok-hyung and our father who were writing the books," Jongdae said, as if reading Yixing's thoughts.

"But I was worried. I thought...maybe you weren't the person just for him. That time when Jongdae collapsed, _he_ was not conscious, but I was. I heard everything you said. And even though you knew, even though you had realised how Jongdae was looking at you, why he followed you so closely, why he wanted everything to do with you—you did nothing. Nothing changed. I...didn't want what had happened to me happen to him, I didn't want him to love someone who did not love him back.

"I think Jongdae was worried as well. Or he would never have collapsed like that."

"That...was my fault?" Yixing asked.

Jongdae shook his head quickly. "No! It wasn't!"

Minseok chuckled. "It's no one's fault. But it happened. And..."

"And so hyung wanted to take me away. He wanted to make sure I wouldn't get hurt. But hyung didn't know that I had already remembered everything. He didn't know that I already knew that you were the right person. He didn't know that no matter what, I would come back."

Jongdae—no, Chen—turned around, so he was straddling Yixing's legs and facing him. Yixing bit his lip, their faces so close that it seemed like he could feel Jongdae's breath against his face. 

"You came back," Yixing repeated. "I don't know what I would've done if you didn't."

"Exactly," Chen said, beaming. "Exactly."

"Exactly?" Yixing echoed.

Chen nodded. "So," Chen said, reaching for Yixing's hand. "I can't imagine losing you, either."

He laced their fingers together, and in that moment, Yixing felt like they could go on forever.

[☆](http://www.animeyume.com/chobits/chobook7.html)

**Seven Months Later**

"It must be convenient to have your own cooling system," Yixing mused, sweat plastering his hair to the back of his neck. Despite the heat, the streets were bustling with people—over the past few months or so, Yixing swore that the number of people who ventured outside had increased. Colourful banners plastered the sides of glass buildings that climbed up towards the sky while below, the ground was filled with laughter. Chen's hand was cool in Yixing's—he had been fitted with climate control from the very start. Chen laughed when Yixing said this, looping his entire arm around his.

"Perks of not being human," Chen said.

Amber had invited everyone to her grandparents' place out in the country, and They were on their way to meeting with the others before driving up. They each had a bag of food slung over their shoulders and Yixing carrying a small watermelon, and were dressed similarly in t-shirts and shorts. While Chen had conceded to donating Yixing's old clothes and slowly built up his own wardrobe, he still tended to gravitate towards Yixing's side of the closet and was wearing one of his shirts even today. It didn't feel like much had changed over the past few months, except that the kittens were no longer kittens—Chen had said to keep calling him Chen, Minseok had gone back home, Lu Han was a meddlesome busybody, Jongin still hated shopping, and Kris and Amber were still dating. Kyungsoo and Chanyeol seemed to have become fast friends while Yixing had quickly found that Baekhyun, when not at work, was practically joined with Zitao at the hip. And to think that Lu Han had wanted him to get a Konpa in the first place because he thought that Yixing was a lonely shut-in—in the end, it had all worked out.

"What're you thinking about?" Chen asked.

And Chen—Chen still looked the same as ever, eyes drawn tapered at the corners and a smile that extended all the way to his sharp cheekbones. He was smiling now, a quiet smile that highlighted the inquiry in his eyes.

"It's been a year," Yixing said.

There were a clump of people ahead—one of them waved at them, and Yixing squinted to see that it was Zitao. Chen waved back happily, while Yixing did the best he could with a watermelon in his hand.

"Mmhmm," Chen said, and then reached over and tugged at Yixing's other arm.

"What?" Yixing glanced down as he turned, and—

His eyes widened when Chen leaned forward, touching their lips together. Chen's fingers were loose around his wrist and tight against his fingers, and through the thin fabric of their summer wear, Yixing could almost feel the beat of his heart. His lips were soft and cool and curled in a smile.

Before Yixing could stop him, Chen had pulled away and was making a mad sprint down the road.

"What was that?" Yixing yelled, chasing after him.

Chen looked over his shoulder and grinned. "It's because it's what people who love each other do, and we love each other, right?"

And as they neared their friends, laughing, who had undoubtedly heard Chen's words, Yixing couldn't even find it in himself to be too embarrassed.

Because yeah, that sounded just about right.

☆

_The heart of someone who's in love, whether that person is alive or not, is kind and warm. The love we feel may not be the same but it doesn't matter when I'm with the 'someone just for me'. If we can all find that special person then the world will be a most joyous place. Then this city will have no unhappy people._

_It's the special city that has the someone just for me._

☆ _e n d_ ☆


End file.
